Great Lakes Regional Web Site
Carthage 4, Alma 0

The Carthage College softball team (25-13) opened play in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional on Thursday with a 4-0 win over Alma College (30-10) at Wisconsin-Whitewater's Van Steenderen Diamond in Whitewater, Wis. 

The Lady Reds advanced to a Friday, May 14 second-round contest against Luther College (38-5) at 3 p.m. The top-seeded Norse defeated eighth-seeded St. Norbert College (30-7), 5-1, in Thursday's first game. Sixth-seeded and CCIW-member Augustana College (Ill., 31-13) upset third-seeded and No. 30 the University of Redlands (34-13), 4-3, in Thursday's third-and-final game. Second-seeded Aurora University (35-7) will take on seventh-seeded and No. 16 Wisconsin-La Crosse (36-7) on Friday morning at 9 a.m. 

The regional continues with four additional games on Friday, May 14, four games on Saturday, May 15, two games on Sunday, May 16, with a final game, if needed, on Monday, May 17.
The regional continues with four additional games on Friday, May 14, four games on Saturday, May 15, two games on Sunday, May 16, with a final game, if needed, on Monday, May 17.

Carthage broke a scoreless tie in the second when Alyssa Schrader lofted a ball into the 20-mile an hour jet stream for a solo home run. The Lady Reds loaded the bases with two outs in the second. Kari Peterson drove in a run with a fielder's choice, and Jenny Burke followed with a two-run single for 4-0 lead, as Carthage sent nine batters to the plate.

 That was it for the scoring, as Lady Reds pitcher Kelsey Epping (14-7) blanked the Scots on three hits and three walks over seven innings, while striking out six batters. Tara Leddy (13-6) took the loss for Alma. Jenny Burke paced the Lady Reds by going two-for-three with a double and two RBI.

“This win was special,” said Carthage coach Amy Gillmore, “because we didn't play well at all last weekend in the CCIW Softball Tournament. Kelsey Epping pitched a great game, and we made some great plays, defensively. We got some key hits, and that was all Kelsey needed. We played today like we had nothing to lose, and the early offense really helped Kelsey relax and pitch like she can. Getting her runs early in a game is just what she needs. I don't know how we're going to go with pitchers. I could start Kelsey again, but Krystina Leazer, our second pitcher, had a great year. Both of them will be ready to go—we'll see. The senior leadership on this team has made a huge difference. Seniors like Stephanie Noel have really stepped their game up this year, and the team chemistry has been great.”

Carthage and Augustana (Ill.) are two of the four conference teams in the field. Illinois Wesleyan University, the winner of the May 8-9 CCIW Softball Tournament, is playing in the Midwest Regional at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, while North Central College was assigned to the Mideast Regional at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. North Central (Ill., 32-12) won its first round game, 8-6, over Trine University, while Illinois Wesleyan (31-14) nipped Fontbonne University, 3-2. This is the first time that more than two CCIW teams have qualified for the championship. 

Looking at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional: Denny Griffin (694-243, 23 years) coaches the Alma College Scots, who went 30-9 and won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title with a 14-2 mark. Alma, ranked 22nd in the May 5 NFCA NCAA Division III poll, lost to Adrian College, 3-0, in the title game of the MIAA Softball Tournament. This is the first meeting between Carthage and Alma…top-seeded Luther College is coached by Renae Hartl (243-119, 9 years). The Norse, ranked fifth in the May 5 NFCA NCAA Division III poll, finished second in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference but won the IIAC Softball Tournament with a 16-6 win over Simpson College. The Norse have out-scored their opponents, 326-65, this season. In the only meeting between Carthage and Luther, the Norse won a 9-2 game on March 29, 1989 in Orlando, Fla.…JoAnn Krueger (233-195-1, 13 years) coaches the St. Norbert College Green Knights, who won the Midwest Conference Softball Tournament with a 3-2 victory over Lake Forest College. The Carthage-St. Norbert series is tied, 3-3, and the Lady Reds won the last meeting, 1-0, on March 19, 2009 in Kissimmee, Fla.…Laurie Nevarez coaches the University of the Redlands Bulldogs, who lost to the University of La Verne, 1-0, the title game of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament. This would be the first meeting between Carthage and Redlands…Kris Kistler (322-154-2, 11 years at Augustana/331-164-2, 12 years overall) coaches the Augustana College (Ill.) Vikings, who finished fourth in the regular-season CCIW standings. Augustana (Ill.) lost to Illinois Wesleyan University, 3-2, in the title game of the CCIW Softball Tournament. Carthage leads the Augustana (Ill.) series, 24-21, and the Lady Reds lost to the Vikings, 4-0, in a CCIW tournament first-round game…Mike McKenzie (245-158-2, 7 years) coaches the Aurora University Spartans, who won the Northern Athletics Conference Softball Tournament in a 5-2 decision over Benedictine University (Ill.). Carthage leads the Aurora series, 17-10, and the two teams last played on April 19, 2006, splitting a doubleheader in Kenosha, Wis.…Chris Helixon (123-85, 5 years) coaches the No. 20 Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles, who won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament with a 2-0 win over Wisconsin-Whitewater. This would be the first meeting between Carthage and Wisconsin-La Crosse.