Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Carthage College softball team (29-9, 12-2 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 17th in the May 1 National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, lost to Augustana College (Ill., 28-12), 2-1, on Friday, May 3 in the second round of the CCIW Softball Tournament at the Carthage Softball Field in Kenosha, Wis. 

Carthage edged No. 27 North Central College (32-9), 3-2, in a first-round game.  In the other first-round game on Friday, Augustana (Ill., 27-12) came from behind to beat No. 19 Illinois Wesleyan University (30-8), 7-6.  In Friday's elimination game, Illinois Wesleyan (31-8) knocked out North Central (Ill., 32-10), 5-2.
 
On Saturday, May 4, Carthage takes on Illinois Wesleyan in a 10 a.m. semifinal contest, with the winner advancing to meet Augustana (Ill.) in the championship round.
 
In the first-round win over North Central (Ill.). Carthage took a 1-0 lead in the second when Katie Morman doubled, went to second on an infield grounder and scored on an infield error.  RBI-singled by Vicki Pyan and Morman in the third gave the Lady Reds a 3-0 lead.  The Cardinals' Kayla Antle hit a two-run homer in the fifth to cut the Carthage lead to 3-2.  Carthage pitcher Krystina Leazer (Sr., Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove) improved to 20-3 by limiting North Central to two runs on five hits, a walk and nine strikeouts over seven innings.  Vlasta Mangia (22-5) took the loss, despite allowing just five hits and no walks over six innings. 
 
In the second-round loss to Augustana (Ill.), Carthage took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI-single by Corinne Sheley.  Chelsea Lavin's RBI-single in the bottom of the third tied the game, 1-1.  That's the way it stayed until the bottom of the fifth when the Vikings' Laura Behnke hit an RBI-double to put Augustana up by a run, 2-1.  Carthage loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but the Lady Reds were unable to push a run across.  In the seventh, Carthage's Bryanna Heckel singled with one out.  Corinne Sheley popped up to second for the second out, and Vikings shortstop Krista Watson, flat on her stomach, threw out Heckel on a force play at second for the final out.
 
The Vikings' Sarah Hintz (12-6) was the winning pitcher and allowed one run on just three hits, two walks and eight strikeouts over five innings.  Ashley Anderson blanked the Lady Reds on two hits over the final two innings to earn her second save.  Krystina Leazer (20-4) took the loss despite giving up just two runs on four hits, two walks and 10 strikeouts.  With her 19 strikeouts in two games on Friday, Leazer became Carthage's career leader with 675, passing Kelsey Epping with 666 between 2007 and 2010.