Game #1 Box Score
Game #2 Box Score
The Carthage College softball team (23-10, 10-4 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 17th in the April 28 National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll and first in the April 28 NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional poll, split a Sunday, May 2 doubleheader with non-conference opponent the University of Chicago (24-13-1) at the Carthage Softball Field in Kenosha, Wis. The Maroons, ranked sixth in the April 28 NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional poll, won the first game, 2-1, with the Lady Reds taking the nightcap by a 4-2 margin.
In the opening game, Carthage broke a scoreless tie with a run in the fifth inning. Stephanie Hueramo walked with one out and scored on a Meghan Roman triple. Chicago tied the game in the sixth on a solo home run by Kathleen Duffy. Duffy homered again in the eighth inning to give the Maroons a 2-1 victory. Sarah Neuhaus (12-3) was the winning pitcher. Neuhaus allowed just one run on three hits and four walks over eight innings, while striking out seven batters. Kelsey Epping (13-4) took the loss. Epping gave up two runs on four hits and three walks over eight innings, while striking out 10 batters.
Carthage took a 2-0 lead In the first inning of the nightcap on RBI-singles by Stephanie Noel and Katie Paulmeyer. The Maroons tied the game, 2-2, in the fifth, but the Lady Reds came right back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run home run by Noel, her seventh of the year. Noel, who went two-for-three in the nightcap, upped her season batting average to .400. Krystina Leazer (10-2) was the winning pitcher. Leazer allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits and no walks over seven innings, and she struck out five. Leazer has walked just eight batters this year in 99.0 innings pitched. Melissa Collins (7-4) was the losing pitcher for Chicago.
On Saturday, Carthage claimed the CCIW title, outright, when second-place North Central College lost the first game of a doubleheader at Augustana College (Ill.), 6-5, in eight innings. Carthage will play host to the Friday-Saturday, May 7-8 CCIW Softball Tournament at the Carthage Softball Field in Kenosha, Wis. The top-seeded Lady Reds take on fourth-seeded Augustana College (Ill., 28-11, 8-6 CCIW) on Friday at Noon in a first-round game, with North Central (Ill., 30-10, 9-5) playing Illinois Wesleyan University (currently 26-12, 9-5) in the other first-round game at 10 a.m. Carthage concludes its regular-season schedule on Monday, May 3 by playing host to non-conference opponent Judson University (28-24) in a 3 p.m. twinbill at the Carthage Softball Field.
