CLERMONT, FLA.—The Carthage College softball team awaited Penn State Behrend and Finlandia University on their fifth day at the PFX Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. on Thursday. The Lady Reds exploited six Penn State Behrend errors to secure a 3-0 victory before they capitalized on their first doubleheader sweep of 2018 with a 6-2 win over Finlandia University.
 
The wins lift Carthage's record to 4-6, 0-0 CCIW. Penn State Behrend fell to 4-3 while Finlandia's loss sent their record to 8-6.
 
Lady Reds 3, Penn State Behrend 0
 
Danielle Koziczkowski broke up Lions pitcher Brittney Williams' no-hit bid with a third-inning single, before she touched second base when Naomi Alonzo reached on an error. Koziczkowski scored off Alexandra Millett's RBI-single up the middle to give the Lady Reds a 1-0 edge. Alonzo later scored when Emmily Zinkiewicz reached on a muffed ground ball by Penn State Behrend to push Carthage's lead to 2-0.
 
Two Penn State Behrend errors in the bottom of the sixth pushed the Lady Reds' lead to 3-0. Veronica Pieters, who pinch ran for Alexandra Millett after reaching on an error, scored from second base off Alessia Knowski's groundout to make the score 3-0.
 
Stefanie Guercio, who lost a no-hit bid in the fifth inning off a single, allowed four runs and struckout seven batters in her first NCAA complete-game shutout in the circle for Carthage. Koziczkowski, Millett and Michuda notched Carthage's three hits in the contest.
 
Lady Reds 6, Finlandia 2
 
Millett knocked in the first Carthage run again when her third-inning single scored Zinkiewicz and Marissa Maldonado to make the score 2-0. Millett eventually circled the bases on Jennifer Michuda's RBI-single up the middle to push Carthage's lead to 3-0 in the third inning.
 
The Lions added a pair of fourth-inning runs to cut their deficit to 3-2, but Lady Reds pitcher Guercio entered the game with two outs and shut them out for good. Guercio's run support began with Makenzie Miller's single in the top of the fifth inning. Koziczkowski (Miller's pinch runner) later scored off Michuda's one-run single to push Carthage's lead to 4-2.
 
Alonzo pushed the score to 5-2 with a sixth-inning RBI-single that scored Zinkiewicz, before Guercio helped herself with her first collegiate home run in the seventh inning to make the score 6-2.
 
Ellie Bernero and Rachel Fanella began the game in the circle for Carthage before Guercio notched eight strikeouts and allowed no runs throughout the final 3.2 innings. Zinkiewicz went 3-for-5 at the plate for Carthage, while Michuda, Marissa Maldonado and Alonzo each chipped in two hits. The Lady Reds out-hit Finlandia 13-3 in the contest. 
 
The Lady Reds will end their 12-game Florida trip tomorrow, Friday, March 9 against University of Northwestern (MN.) (11:30 a.m. ET) and Emmanuel College (4:30 p.m. ET).