Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Carthage College softball team (21-7, 8-2 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 25th in the April 17 National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, remains in first place in the CCIW despite losing both ends of a Sunday, April 21 doubleheader to conference-opponent and No. 27 Illinois Wesleyan University (26-7, 7-3 CCIW), 7-6 in 12 innings and 6-5, at the Carthage Softball Field in Kenosha, Wis. 

The Lady Reds have a one-game lead over the second-place Titans with four game left to play this week.  The loss in the first game snapped an 11-game Carthage winning streak, and the 12-inning game was the longest in Carthage history.
 
Illinois Wesleyan had four base runners in the top of the first inning, two singles, a walk and an infield throwing error, but two runners caught stealing prevented the Titans from having a big inning.  Carthage broke a scoreless tie in the third inning on an RBI-single by Vicki Pyan.  Bryanna Heckel singled in a run in the fourth, and the Lady Reds led, 2-0.  The Titans scored three times in the fifth on five singles off pitcher Krystina Leazer.  Keri Leach singled in the first run, and Hannah Bowen followed with a two-run single.  Leach and Emma Clark hit back-to-back two-out RBI-doubles in the sixth to extend the Titans' lead to 5-2.  The Lady Reds got a run back in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Jen Precht.
 
Vicki Pyan (Jr., Crystal Lake, Ill./South) homered down the leftfield line to open the seventh, and the next batter, Katie Morman (Jr., Kenosha, Wis./Somers-Shoreland Lutheran) homered to left-center to tie the game, 5-5.  In the Illinois Wesleyan eighth, Sara Rogers reached second when Carthage shortstop Morman dropped a fly ball in short-leftfield.  With two outs, Keri Leach singled up the middle to score Rogers with the go-ahead run. 

Carthage tied the game, 6-6, in the bottom of the eighth.  Jen Precht opened the frame with a double, and she scored on a sacrifice bunt by Corinne Sheley that Titan catcher Sara Daley threw away at first base.  Illinois Wesleyan went up to stay, 7-6, in the top of the 12th when Hannah Bowen singled, went to second on a bunt, advanced to third on a fly ball and scored on a wild pitch from Leazer.
 
Krystina Leazer (Sr., Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove, 14-3) took the loss and allowed seven runs, six earned, on an uncharacteristic 15 hits, two walks and 10 strikeouts over 12 innings.  Alyssa Vorel (9-3) picked up the win in relief of Molly McCready.  Bryanna Heckel (Jr., Kenosha, Wis./Salem-Westosha Central) went three-for-six with an RBI.
 
In the first inning of the second game, Carthage loaded the bases with no outs but managed only a sacrifice fly by Abby Hanson to take a 1-0 lead.  IWU tied the game in the bottom half when Courtney Martin scored from third base on a throwing error by Lady Reds pitcher Tina Campbell.  The Titans scored three times in the third to take a 4-1 lead.  A two-run single by Keri Leach was the big hit in that inning.  The Lady Reds came back with three runs in the fifth to tie the game, 4-4.  Katie Morman singled in a run, and Abby Hanson delivered a two-run homer.
 
After Illinois Wesleyan re-gained the lead, 6-4, with two runs in the fifth, the Lady Reds got a run back in the sixth on an RBI-single by Bryanna Heckel for the final, 6-5 margin.  Pitcher Tina Campbell (Jr., St. Petersburg, Fla./Lakewood, 7-4) took the loss and gave up six runs, five earned, on eight hits and two walks.  Alyssa Vorel (10-2), the first-game winner for the Titans, also won the nightcap.  Abby Hanson (Jr., Winthrop Harbor, Ill./Zion-Benton Township) drove in three of Carthage's five runs.

Carthage travels to Elmhurst, Ill., on Tuesday, April 23 to play CCIW-opponent Elmhurst College (14-10, 1-7 CCIW) in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Salt Creek Park.