Softball lost its eighth consecutive game after being swept in a conference series for the second time this season against the California Baptist Lancers on Friday and Saturday.

With the series loss, ACU now sits at 6-39 on the season and 3-12 in conference play, putting them last in the Western Athletic Conference.

In a doubleheader on Friday, the Wildcats lost their first game 13-0 and their second game 10-3 and finished the series with a 10-0 loss in five innings due to the run rule.

ACU struggled offensively throughout the weekend, being outscored 33-3 by the Lancers. Another struggle for the Wildcats was pitching, having a combined seven strikeouts in the series.

CBU started hot in the first game on Friday, scoring four runs in the first inning to take a 4-0 lead before going scoreless until the fourth inning, when they scored three more runs to make the lead 7-0. The Lancers closed it out in the seventh inning with six more runs to win the game 13-0.

ACU failed to record a hit until the fourth inning and recorded only four hits for the entire game.

“Honestly, offensively we got shut out,” head coach Jo Koons said. “That’s been our strength all year. So, without having a chance to score runs, it’s tough to win any games.”

On the mound, ACU struggled with its two pitchers, Alissa Snipes and Lindsey Oliver. Snipes, freshman right-handed pitcher from Chico, California, started the game, giving up seven earned runs in the 26 batters she faced, only striking out two of them in four innings.

Oliver, right-handed pitcher from Watuga, finished the game after coming in for Snipes and gave up six earned runs in the 17 batters she faced, striking out only one.

Friday’s second game got off to a similar start as the first, as the Lancers took a 3-0 lead in the first inning. This time, ACU answered with their first run of the series that came from Ciana Arguijo, freshman utility player from Round Rock, who scored from third base on a fly out.

The Wildcats went on to score two more runs, one in the third inning and the other in the fourth inning.

Ella Beeman, junior right-handed pitcher from Lowell, Arkansas, started the game for ACU. She gave up eight earned runs in the 25 batters she faced and had only one strikeout in three innings.

Makayla Valle, junior right-handed pitcher from Aurora, Colorado, came in for Beeman and gave up only one earned run with 18 batters faced.

Saturday’s game started scoreless through the first two innings before CBU took a commanding lead in the top of the third inning when the Lancers scored seven runs.

Valle came in for Leah Meyer, junior right-handed pitcher from Ocala, Florida, after Meyer gave up six earned runs. Valle finished the inning before Beeman substituted for her at the top of the fourth inning.

Beeman gave up three earned runs and recorded one run in the two innings she pitched.

ACU will travel to Utah to face the Utah Tech Trailblazers in its final regular-season series, with a doubleheader on Friday and the final game on Saturday. Both teams enter the game with a 3-12 conference record, meaning the winner of the series will claim the final spot in the WAC tournament.

However, despite the Trailblazers having the same conference record as ACU, they have a 16-31 overall record.

“To still have a shot this late in the year, it’s worthy of something,” Koons said. “You just have to get there because once you get there, it’s house money at that point.”