OMAHA, Neb. – College of Saint Mary ended its softball season on Saturday with a pair of hard-fought Great Plains Athletic Conference losses on Senior Day to Concordia University, by scores of 6-3 and 4-0.

Despite the scores, it was a memorable afternoon at the ballpark because it afforded the Flames the chance to give proper goodbyes to seniors Megan Garcia, Kymber Shallenberger and Paige Stuck in front of a large crowd, including many family members and friends.

"They have all been such great leaders for four years, five years in Paige's case,'' CSM Coach Carolyn Todd Bray said. "Just excellent role models. They just do things the right way. They worked hard every single day. They did what the team needed.''

Bray said it was an emotional scene in the clubhouse after the doubleheader.

"The hardest part is in the locker room afterwards, when every single person is thanking the seniors for four or five awesome years,'' she said. "Everyone is in there crying. The seniors gave great messages: to not take it for granted. These are friendships for life. They have zero regrets.''

With CSM (9-30 overall, 7-15 GPAC) mathematically eliminated from the GPAC Tournament, the Flames got everyone a taste of the action.

"We took the opportunity to find a way to play everybody and give some other people some opportunities to play,'' Bray said. "I thought everybody who came in really worked hard and played hard.''

In the opener, CSM scored three runs in the fourth inning to take a 3-1 lead into the fifth. Ella Watts singled and scored on Shaylynn Campbell's double. Maycee Hays drove in Campbell with a single and eventually scored from third on a groundout.

However, the Bulldogs (27-18, 12-10) scored three in the fifth and two in the sixth to get the win. Hays and Watts finished with two hits apiece for the hosts.

In the second game, the Flames managed just four hits – two by Amber Kosmicki – against Megan Eurich, who threw the complete-game shutout while striking out 10 and walking none.

The Flames' defensive highlight came in the top of the seventh, when they turned a 3-4-6 double play.

CSM loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh on singles by Maria Perez and Kosmicki, before Victoria Placzek was hit by a pitch. But Eurich worked out of trouble to complete the sweep.

In the end though, the day was about CSM's seniors.

"Megan worded it really well,'' Bray said. "She said, 'It's really hard to be a collegiate student-athlete.' They all said they wish they could play more. That's what it's about.''