DAVENPORT, Iowa – College of Saint Mary lost a pair of hard-fought softball games Sunday to wrap up the Dome Tournament hosted by St. Ambrose University, falling 5-4 to Cornerstone (Mich.) University and then 1-0 to the host school in a nine-inning nailbiter.

CSM Coach Carolyn Todd Bray said the extra-inning loss to St. Ambrose was an exceptional college softball game.

"Wow! We played so well in that last game,'' she said. "We have nothing to hang our heads about.''

The star of the game and star of the day was sophomore Shaylynn Campbell. The Yutan High School product pitched all 16 innings for the Flames (1-3 overall) in the two games. The plan in the second game was to start Campbell and let her work two innings, but she was so dominant that Bray let her continue, and Campbell never gave the coaching staff a reason to take her out.

"We had four pitchers warm up before the game,'' Bray said. "The whole team knew the plan. After the second inning we said, 'Abort! Abort the plan! Our whole team knew Shay was on a different level that game.''

In that second game, Campbell worked eight scoreless innings before surrendering a run in the bottom of the ninth that allowed St. Ambrose to win. Under the international rule, St. Ambrose started the inning with a runner at second base, Shai Erdrich. She stole third and scored the game-winner on Reagan Engberg's double.

Campbell struck out nine, walked only one and scattered five hits in the second game.

"I think that was the best Shay has pitched since she's been at CSM,'' Bray said. "She was on fire! Throwing smoke! Seriously, she put the team on her shoulders and said, 'Let's go!' The energy was so high all nine innings. The only negative was that we didn't get our bunts down in extra innings to move runners.''

In the 5-4 loss to Cornerstone, CSM rallied from a 5-0 deficit to get within 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth on Ella Watts' RBI double, which scored Kayla Reed. But the Flames couldn't get the tying or go-ahead runs across.

"We battled back, so we were happy with that,'' Bray said. "We were too tentative at the plate and watched too many first-pitch strikes.''

Watts finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs from the leadoff spot, while Campbell went 2 for 4. Reed and Maycee Hays each drove in runs, while Campbell and Makenna Earnest turned in outstanding defensive plays, Bray said.

Campbell allowed five earned runs while striking out two and walking two.

As it turned out, she was just getting started.

Bray said the weekend showed there are big things ahead for her team.

"We've got things to work on these next two weeks, but overall, we are excited for this season,'' she said.

CSM returns to action Feb. 21 at the Dordt Dome Tournament in Sioux Center, Iowa, meeting William Penn University at 4 p.m. and Dakota State University at 6 p.m.