Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Carthage College softball team (20-10, 7-5 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) swept a Friday, April 25 CCIW-doubleheader with North Park University (15-15, 3-5 CCIW), 9-0 and 7-1, at the Holmgren Athletic Complex in Chicago.  With the two wins, the Lady Reds clinched a berth in next week's CCIW Softball Tournament.  This will be Carthage's 17th conference-tournament appearance since 1988.  The two wins provided Carthage coach Amy Gillmore with her 400^th career victory (400-242, 17 years thru April 25).
 
Illinois Wesleyan (10-2 CCIW) needs one win over North Park on Saturday in Bloomington, Ill., to clinch the league title and the home field for the Friday-Saturday, May 2-3 tournament.  North Central College (9-3) is currently in second place and Augustana College (Ill, 8-4) third.
 
Carthage broke a scoreless tie in the opening game with a two-home run by Abby Hanson in the fourth inning.  Darian Pelsor followed with another two-run homer, and the Lady Reds led, 4-0.  An RBI-single by Olivia Scott in the fifth made it 5-0.  RBI-singles by Vicki Pyan and Hanson in the sixth upped the lead to 7-0, and a two-run double by Corinne Sheley in the seventh made it 9-0.  Abby Hanson (Sr., Winthrop Harbor, Ill./Zion-Benton Township) led the Lady Reds by going two-for-four with three RBI.  Makenzie Walker (Fr., Kenosha, Wis./Bradford, 7-3) was the winning pitcher, as she blanked the Vikings on eight hits, a walk and a season-high 11 strikeouts over seven innings.  Katy Ortinau (7-6) took the loss for the Vikings.
 
In the nightcap, Carthage took a 1-0 lead in the second on an RBI-single by Bryanna Heckel.  The Lady Reds broke the game open with a four-run fourth inning, thanks to RBI-singles by Vicki Pyan and Corinne Sheley and a two-run single by Abby Hanson.  Sheley doubled in a run in the fifth, and the lead went to 6-0.  The Vikings got a run back in the sixth, but a solo homer by Hanson in the bottom of the sixth made it a 7-1 contest.
 
Bryanna Heckel (Sr., Kenosha, Wis./Salem-Westosha Central) went four-for-four with two runs scored, and Abby Hanson went two-for-four with three RBI, completing a four-for-eight doubleheader with six RBI.  Katie Herron (So., Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park, 7-3) was the winning pitcher, and she allowed by just one run on four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts over seven innings.  Danielle Warner (6-8) took the loss.
 
Carthage travels to Decatur, Ill., on Saturday, April 27 to play a 1 p.m. twinbill against CCIW-opponent Millikin University (16-17, 0-8 CCIW) at Rotary Park.