MONTGOMERY, Ill. - Marian University softball (25-14, 15-7 NACC) suffered their first loss of the NACC tournament falling to MSOE 4-0.

The first four innings of the game were dominated by pitching in defense with the Sabres turning two double plays and escaping a jam with bases loaded and nobody out in the fourth.  The Raiders were able to open the scoring in the fifth inning with a one-out RBI single followed by back-to-back run-producing hits to take a 4-0 lead.

The Sabres would manage to get a runner to third but were unable to plate the run as Marian suffered only their fourth shutout of the season.

Marian was held to only two hits in the defeat with juniors Ally Fox and Taylor Lauscher each recording one hit.  In the circle, junior Paige Rauhut (13-8) tossed a total of 5.0 innings allowing just one run.

Marian now takes on Aurora tomorrow, Saturday, May 4, at 10 a.m. in an elimination game.  With a win the Sabres would play MSOE immediately after needing a pair of wins over the Raiders to earn the NACC tournament title.