PHILADELPHIA- The La Salle softball team fell 3-1 to Dayton in the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon at West Campus Softball Field.
 
Despite the loss the Explorers have qualified for the Atlantic 10 Softball Tournament for the second straight season. The tournament gets underway on Wednesday with La Salle facing George Mason in the four vs. five game beginning at noon. Massachusetts will host this year's tournament.
 
Dayton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Flyers took advantage of a two-out error to score their pair of runs.
 
The Explorers would answer right back in the bottom half of the inning. Sophomore Suzanne Swanicke singled through the left side to start off the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Freshman Valerie Pineiro would driver her home with a single down the left field line to cut the deficit to 2-1.
 
The Flyers grabbed another run in the top of the fourth using three hits and an error to plate the run and give them a 3-1 lead which they wouldn't surrender.
 
La Salle threatened in the bottom of the fourth. The Explorers had two runners in scoring position with two outs but a timely strikeout from Dayton quelled the threat.
 
Junior Mary Cate Scott threw 3.2 innings in relief allowing only two hits and a pair of walks while not allowing any runs and recording one strikeout. Pineiro was 2-3 on the day with a RBI.
 
La Salle returns to action on Wednesday as they open up the Atlantic 10 Softball Tournament against George Mason. Check back to GoExplorers.com tomorrow for a full preview.