HENDERSON, Nev. (May 1, 2019) – The College of Southern Nevada softball program didn't have the weekend it wanted to last weekend.
 
The Lady Coyotes, who came into a series with USU Eastern on an extended winning streak, were blocked out as they fell 1-3 in the series to the Eagles. CSN won't have an easy task in trying to put together momentum as it will close the season with nationally-ranked Salt Lake Community College. The Bruins, who have already clinched the Scenic West Athletic Conference crown, will also host next weekend's Region 18 championships.
 
The prospect of closing the season with the Scenic West regular-season champion will be a stern challenge, according to Southern Nevada coach Ashley Johnston.
 
"I always say if you want to be the best then you have to play tough competition and that's exactly what SLCC is," she said. "With playoffs out of reach for my kids, I just want to play hard and compete. We took one from SLCC before so we are looking to take another."
 
CSN had some mixed success against Salt Lake in their first matchup of the season at Lady Coyote Softball Field. The Coyotes claimed the first game of the series in a 7-5 win before closing the series with three run-rule losses.
 
Johnston said the key to playing well against Salt Lake is all in the details.
 
"Like any other team, we will continue to work on and perfect our fundamentals," she said. "We will be doing a lot of live-action this week so we will be ready for live pitching."
 
Salt Lake is on a league-best 19-game winning streak and their last loss was the series-opening loss to Southern Nevada. The Bruins have the league's best offense and best pitching staff, and the program posted 46 runs in four games last weekend. Salt Lake has an overall record of 40-6 and 32-4 in the SWAC. 
 
As the team looks forward to its final games of the season, due to CSN's ineligibility for the Region 18 tourney, Johnston said her program will cherish their opportunity to play the Scenic West's best.
 
"We have been handling adversity all year long," she said. "Ending the season with top-ranked SLCC is something that we are ready for."
 
The two teams will play a four-game series on Friday and Saturday at Norma Carr Field in Taylorsville. The teams will play doubleheaders each day. Live stats will be available at www.slccbruins.com.