Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Carthage College softball team (9-5, 1-1 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) opened its CCIW-schedule on Saturday, April 5 by splitting a doubleheader with Augustana College (Ill., 20-6, 1-1) at the Carthage Softball Field in Kenosha, Wis.  The Lady Reds won the first game, 4-3 in eight innings, but the Vikings scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to take the nightcap, 6-5.  Augustana (Ill.) was ranked No. 21 in the March 31 National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll.
 
Augustana took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opener on back-to-back doubles by Laura Behnke and Jenna Teson.   The Vikings made it 2-0 in the second on a walk and a pair of throwing errors by Lady Reds pitcher Makenzie Walker.  Carthage came back with a three-run third inning to take 3-2 lead.  Olivia Scott led off the inning with a walk, and A.J. Grigsby reached base on a fielder's choice.  Following a sacrifice bunt, Corinne Sheley hit a sacrifice fly, and Vicki Pyan followed with a two-run home run.
 
Carthage almost got away with the one-hit, three-run effort, except the Vikings scored the game-tying run in the top of the seventh.  Augustana loaded the bases with two outs on two singles and a fielding error, and pinch-runner Kendra Rakers scored from third on a wild pitch by Makenzie Walker.  In the Carthage eighth, Bryanna Heckel reached second on a single and fielding error by Augustana right fielder Jennifer Gray.   Heckel advanced to third on a bunt.  Vicki Pyan walked, and Darian Pelsor was walked intentionally to load the bases.  Katie Morman then delivered a single to the hole at shortstop to score Pyan with the game-winning run.
 
Makenzie Walker (Fr., Kenosha, Wis./Bradford, 3-1) was the winning pitcher, and she limited the Vikings to three runs, only one earned, on seven hits and three walks over eight innings.  Sarah Hintz (10-2) took the loss by giving up four runs on three hits and five walks over seven and one-third innings.
 
Carthage took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap, when Bryanna Heckel scored from, second base with two outs when right fielder Jennifer Gray dropped a fly ball off the bat of Darian Pelsor.  The Vikings took a 2-1 in the bottom half when Laura Behnke scored from third on a passed ball, and Krista Watson followed with a sacrifice fly.
 
The Lady Reds tied the game, 3-3, with two runs in the fifth.  Olivia Scott hit a solo homer, and Bryanna Heckel connected on a two-out double to deep center field.  Carthage went up, 5-3, in the sixth on RBI-singles by Katie Morman and Alyse Mikolas.
 
Augustan opened the seventh by getting two runners on under somewhat-bizarre circumstances.    Pinch-hitter Amanda Ebert bunted down the first-base line.  Carthage first baseman Abby Hanson watched the ball roll for a few seconds, then decided it was staying fair and rushed a throw to first base.  One out later, Laura Behnke lined a single off Hanson's foot, advancing Ebert to second.  Jenna Teson singled in Ebert, Makenzie Walker relieved Lady Reds starting pitcher Darian Pelsor.  Behnke and Teson moved up a base on a Walker wild pitch, and Ashley Anderson walked to load the bases.  With two outs, Behnke scored on a wild pitch to tie the game, and Jaime Rehmert followed with a single to left to score Teson with the game-winning run.
 
Darian Pelsor (Fr., Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook, 0-3) took the hard-luck loss, with Christie Wiersma (1-1) credited with the win.  Katie Morman (Sr., Kenosha, Wis./Somers-Shoreland Lutheran) led the Lady Reds by going three-for-four with an RBI.
 
Carthage plays host to St. Norbert College (4-9) on Sunday, April 6 in a 1 p.m. doubleheader that was rained out on Thursday.