This was it. It was the last home game this season for the top 20 nationally ranked SF State softball team. And for four graduating seniors, it was the last time they would ever play on Gator soil.

The game, held on Saturday, was important but it took a bit of a backseat to Senior Day where both the Gators and the Tritons recognized their graduating seniors. Enticing smells of barbecue and flowers filled the air. A much larger than normal crowd filled the bleachers and surrounded the field with home-brought lawn chairs. The mood of the afternoon appeared to be both emotionally driven but lighthearted, at the same time. It was emotional because the team would be losing seniors Mary Cunnie, Lauren Dowell, Sonja Garnett and Holly Pearce but it was also lighthearted because the team as a whole always seems to epitomize exuberance.

Even though Gator softball has almost come to an end for the four seniors, sports is so embedded into their sense of self, that once softball is over, many chose to pursue a career that revolves around sports of some sort. Pearce plans to go into sports psychology. Garnett would like to coach softball at the college level for a few years. Cunnie’s current major is in recreation and holistic health. And even though Dowell’s major is criminal justice, she does not plan to stop playing softball. “I played softball all my life and I think I’ll always play,” said Dowell.

For the other seniors, they may not know their long-term softball goals but there are plans for the immediate future. Pearce plans to continue to play softball this summer when she heads over to Italy. Likewise, Garnett has tentative plans to play ball in Germany over the summer.

The day was not entirely emotionally driven because the team will continue to play together thanks to the regional championships. Garnett, who has been the Gators' best pitcher to date, stated, “I am trying not to be overwhelmed by it, but it is bittersweet.”

Her partner in crime, catcher Cunnie, said, “It has not set in yet, but I am excited for the regional championships.”

For Dowell, playing softball at SF State has been the most rewarding experience in her life thus far. “I am going to miss everyone so much,” Dowell said. Leaving the team, according to Dowell, is like losing 15 friends who have become more like sisters.

The “family,” known as the Gators, won both games in a tightly matched doubleheader against the UC San Diego Tritons. In the first game, Vanessa Rodrigue hit the only run of the game in the last inning, giving the Gators the win. Game two was also a close game, but the Gators won 3-2.

With these two extra wins attached to their record, the Gators will be going to the regional championships with an overall record of 40-14. For the team to win both games at home, according to coach Kristi Lansford, is a confidence booster they will need going into the regional championships.

The NCAA Division II Western Regional Championships is set for May 11-15 in Bakersfield.