JACKSONVILLE, ILL—The Carthage College softball team opened their 2017 season with a doubleheader at Illinois College on Saturday afternoon. Katie Herron's 14 strikeouts on the pitching rubber paced the Lady Reds in a 4-2 victory over the Lady Blues in game one. Darian Pelsor and Ellie Bernero each went three-for-four at the dish to propel Carthage to a 6-4 victory in game two.
 
The victories give Carthage a 2-0 start to the season, while Illinois College begins their 2017 campaign with an 0-2 record.
 
Lady Reds 4, Illinois College 2
 
Carthage loaded the bases in the first inning when Marissa Maldonado and Kristine Herdegen walked, and Vivian Juarez reached on an error. Hailey Rothstein, Brooke Sefcik, and Lauren Jones each knocked in a run with the bases loaded to give Carthage a 3-0 cushion.
 
Herron tallied five strikeouts over the first three innings to keep the score 3-0 before Herdegen's bases-loaded walk in the fourth inning widened Carthage's lead to 4-0. The Lady Blues tallied their first run of the game in the fourth inning when Shelby Koehler reached third base on a Carthage outfield error. Koehler touched home plate off Jackie Reilly's RBI-single to cut the Lady Reds' lead to 4-1. Reilly later rounded the bases off Marissa Knowles' RBI-single to cut Carthage's lead in half at 4-2.
 
Herron struck out the side in the fifth inning, and added two more in the sixth to help lock a 4-2 victory for the Lady Reds. She scattered two hits and one walk over seven innings of work. The Carthage offense collected five hits in the contest. 
 
Lady Reds 6, Illinois College 4
 
Carthage had to dig themselves out of their first hole of the season, thanks to Knowles's first-inning, two-run home run to give Illinois College a 2-0 lead. The Lady Reds stood the test when Pelsor singled, and Brooke Sefcik reached on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners for Ellie Bernero, who singled to narrow their deficit to 2-1 in the second inning. Bernero later scored on Emmily Zinkiewicz's single to tie the score 2-2.
 
Elyce Trout laced a two-run home run in the third inning to give Illinois College a 4-2 advantage.
 
Carthage regained the lead for good in the fifth inning when Pelsor (single), Rothstein (double), and Bernero (single) each notched an RBI to make the score 5-4.
 
Pelsor tallied Carthage's final run of the game in the seventh inning when she singled, and scored off Sefcik's single to widen their cushion to 6-4.
 
Rothstein added two hits for the Lady Reds. 
 
Amy Goldsmith and Rachel Fanella combined to scatter eight hits and strikeout seven batters on the pitching rubber for Carthage.
 
The Lady Reds will return to action on Friday, March 17 at the NTC Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. Carthage will open their 10-game Florida trip against Buena Vista University at 3:30 p.m., and Rutgers Newark University at 6 p.m.