Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Carthage College softball team (28-8, 12-2 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 21st in the April 24 National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, closed out its regular-season schedule on Sunday, April 28 by sweeping a doubleheader from non-conference opponent Lake Forest College (17-16), 7-4 and 3-2, at the Lake Forest Softball Field in Lake Forest, Ill.
 
Three home runs powered Carthage to a 7-4 win in the opening game.  Carthage took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opener on a leadoff home run by Bryanna Heckel (Jr., Kenosha, Wis./Salem-Westosha Central).  Katie Morman (Jr., Kenosha, Wis./Somers-Shoreland Lutheran) launched a three-run homer in the third, and Olivia Scott (So., Plainfield, Ill./Central) added a solo shot to give the Lady Reds a 5-0 lead.  A two-run single by Sam Ritsema in the bottom of the third cut the Carthage lead to 5-2.  The Foresters' Kristi Gandy hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and the Lady Reds' lead fell to 5-4.  Morman hit an RBI-double in the seventh and Amy Slattery added a run-scoring single to put Carthage up by three, 6-4.
 
Amy Slattery (Sr., Tinley Park, Ill./New Lenox-Providence Catholic) went three-for-four with an RBI, and Katie Morman went two-for-four with four RBI.  Starting pitcher Tina Campbell (Jr., St. Petersburg, Fla./Lakewood, 9-5) got the win despite giving up four runs on four hits and four walks over five and one-third innings.  Krystina Leazer (Sr., Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove) blanked the Foresters over the final inning and two-thirds to earn her third save.  Jessi Werner (9-7) took the loss.
 
Kristi Gandy hit an RBI-single in the first inning of the nightcap to give the Foresters an early lead.  Carthage's Corinne Sheley tied the game in the third with an RBI-single.  The Lady Reds took a 3-1 lead in the fourth on a two-run single by Amy Slattery.  Lake Forest picked up a run in the bottom of the seventh on a solo homer by Aubrey Pendegraft for the final, 3-2 margin.  Amy Slattery led the Lady Reds with two hits in three trip with two RBI.  Krystina Leazer improved her record to 19-3 with a complete-game effort.  Leazer allowed just two runs on six hits, no walks and 10 strikeouts.  Jessi Werner (9-8) was the losing pitcher.
 
Carthage opens play at the CCIW Softball Tournament on Friday, May 3 at the Carthage Softball Field.  The top-seeded Lady Reds will play the fourth-seeded team in Friday's second game, beginning at Noon.  The complete field and seeding will not be determined until the conference's regular-season schedule concludes on Tuesday night.