It sure was fun while it lasted.

A thrilling run by the Denison softball team that started on April 22 and concluded in the championship game of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament wrapped up on Saturday as DePauw prevailed, 6-0 in the decisive game seven from Greencastle, Ind. 

It took quite a bit of effort to reach this point.  First Denison needed a sweep over Wooster on April 22. 

Check. 

Then they had to go on the road and sweep Hiram on April 26. 

Check. 

DU followed that with a sweep of Ohio Wesleyan on Monday, April 27.

Check. 

The 6-0 finish punched their ticket as the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. It also set them up for a first round meeting with top-seeded DePauw.  The Tigers would prevail in Friday's opener, 9-2, sending Denison into the dreaded loser's bracket, a place where only one team has emerged as champion in the 14 year history of the NCAC Softball Tournament.

That one team just happened to be the 2010 Denison Big Red. 

The 2015 version of the Big Red took the field on Saturday understanding its mission.  Win three straight games and continue playing in the NCAA Division III Tournament, a feat the program has accomplished six previous times but not since 2012.

Certainly a daunting task, but DU head coach Tiffany Ozbun had an ace up her sleeve by the name of Sarah Herold.  The first-year pitcher from suburban Chicago took the circle in Saturday's first elimination game with Wittenberg and pitched a complete game, five-hit shutout.  Lauren Secaras' two-run double down the left field line was all the Big Red needed to knock out Wittenberg with a 2-0 win.  The win moved Denison's record to 21-18, it also marked career win No. 200 for Ozbun.

In game six, Herold remained in the lineup as the starting pitcher, turning in another complete game shutout performance in an 8-0, five-inning victory over DePauw.  Denison's offense took the pressure off Herold with a five-run second inning. The big blow would come from the bat of Secaras who stroked a bases loaded double to the gap in right center, clearing the bases and putting DU on top 6-0.  Herold's line in the game six of the tournament was five innings pitched, two hits allowed, one walk and seven strikeouts.

Secaras went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and Anna Balch was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

For the sixth-straight year and the ninth time overall, a seventh and deciding championship game would be played at the NCAC Tournament.  Even after firing 153 pitches in the first two games, Herold toed the rubber in the championship game for Denison.

She was pitted against DePauw starter, Emma Baldwin who worked out of two jams and held Denison scoreless.  Her nearly flawless pitching allowed the Tigers to go to work on offense as Alli Dennie broke Herold's scoreless innings streak with a solo home run to left in the bottom of the second.

The Tigers scored three runs off four hits and one error in the third to take a 4-0 lead.  The big inning knocked Herold out of the game in favor of Secaras who would pitch the final 3.2 innings for Denison.

Baldwin got the win, scattering two hits and four walks while striking out nine.  She was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after pitching 12 scoreless innings in three appearances.  Baldwin struck out 16 while giving up only four hits.

Denison's season comes to a close with 22-19 record.  Over the last 13 games of the season, dating back to April 18, Denison went 10-3.  In the tournament awards ceremony Denison's Julie Rooney, Lauren Secaras and Sarah Herold were named to the All-Tournament team (photo above).