Carthage 5, Concordia (Chicago) 3
Carthage 10, Concordia (Chicago) 4

The Carthage College softball team (13-9, 4-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) swept a Thursday, April 7 doubleheader from non-conference opponent Concordia University (Chicago, 5-12), 5-3 and 10-4, at the Concordia Softball Field in River Forest, Ill. The Lady Reds have won their last six games. With the win in the nightcap, Carthage coach Amy Gillmore also won her 300th game (300-202, 14 years).

Alyssa Schrader and Alyse Mikolas both singled in runs in the first inning, giving the Lady Reds a 2-0 lead in the opener. Concordia's Taylor Golden hit a two-run home run in the second inning to tie the game, 2-2. The Lady Reds took a 3-2 lead in the third on a sacrifice fly by Carli Irace and went up, 5-2, in the fourth on RBI-singles by Vicki Pyan and Mikolas. The Cougars got a run back in the sixth on an RBI-single by Caitlin Richards to make it 5-3.

Alyse Mikolas (Fr., Kenosha, Wis./Bradford) went three-for-four with an RBI and two stolen bases. Starting pitcher Alyssa Schrader (Jr., Plainfield, Ill./South, 1-3) won her first game in five starts this year. Schrader went the first six innings and allowed three runs on 10 hits and two walks. Krystina Leazer (So., Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove) pitched the seventh inning and set the Cougars down on three strikeouts, sandwiched around a single, to earn her first save. Cassie Slechta (0-1), the first-of-two Concordia hurlers, took the loss.

In the nightcap, Carthage opened up a 3-0 lead in the second inning, as Amy Slattery hit a two-run single, and Bryanna Heckel added a run-scoring single. The Cougars tied the game, 3-3, in the bottom half of the second on RBI-singles by Sara Bader, Corinne Kuhn and Olivia Hires. Alyssa Schrader put the Lady Reds back on top for good, 5-3, in the third with a two-run homer. Alyse Mikolas also scored in the third on an unearned run to make it 6-3. Stephanie Schafer scored an unearned run in the fourth, and Carthage led by four, 7-3. The Cougars' Corinne Kuhn connected on a solo home run in the fifth to shave the lead to the 7-4. The Lady Reds tacked on three more runs in the seventh to make it a 10-4 game. Amy Slattery scored an unearned run, and Schafer drove in two with a single.

Vicki Pyan (Fr., Crystal Lake, Ill./South) went two-for-three, and Alyssa Schrader drove in three runs. Carthage starting pitcher Tricia O'Keefe (Sr., Franksville, Wis./Union Grove, 1-2) was the winning pitcher in the second game. O'Keefe worked the first four innings and surrendered all four runs on eight hits. Krystina Leazer took over in the fifth and blanked the Cougars on four hits over the final three innings to nail down her second save. Sami DeFord (3-7), the second-of-two Concordia pitchers, took the loss.

Carthage entertains CCIW-opponent Millikin University (13-5, 3-1 CCIW) on Saturday, April 9 in a 2 p.m. doubleheader at the Carthage Softball Field.