WHEATON, ILL.—The Carthage College softball team kicked-off their final week of the 2018 regular season at Wheaton College (DH) in a rare Monday-afternoon affair. Lady Reds pitcher Stefanie Guercio lost a no-hit bid off a sixth-inning Thunder infield single in game one, which ended up being the only hit allowed in a 2-1 victory. Naomi Alonzo went 3-for-3 at the dish with a grand slam, and picked up the pitching decision in Carthage's 10-4 victory over Wheaton in game two.
 
The sweep gives Carthage a 16-16, 6-4 CCIW mark while Wheaton falls to 7-27, 3-13 CCIW.
 
Lady Reds 2, Wheaton 1
 
Guercio struck out 10 batters and allowed just one hit in her complete-game pitching victory that improved her win-loss record to 8-4. Her run support began in the third inning, when Vivian Juarez doubled and scored off Alonzo's RBI-single to give Carthage a 1-0 edge. The Lady Reds tacked on another run in the fourth inning, where Emmily Zinkiewicz set the tone with a one-out single. Jennifer Michuda pushed the score to 2-0 when she plated Zinkiewicz with a fourth-inning double to center field.
 
Melody Rodriguez capitalized on a Carthage sixth-inning fielding error, which sent her to second base. This set up Julia Arthur's RBI-infield single that plated Rodriguez and broke up Guercio's no-hit bid to narrow Wheaton's deficit to 2-1 in the sixth inning. 
 
Juarez paced the Carthage offense with a 2-for-3 outing at the plate. Six other Lady Reds also contributed a hit, which included Michuda's double.
 
Lady Reds 10, Wheaton 4
 
The Thunder turned a Carthage first-inning error into a run en route to a 1-0 lead. The Lady Reds answered back in the bottom of the first off Alonzo's RBI-double that plated Juarez, who walked, to tie the game 1-1. Ellie Bernero knocked in Alonzo with her first-career home run, which pushed Carthage's lead to 3-1.
 
The Thunder touched Carthage for a run in each the second and third innings to knot the contest 3-3. Zinkiewicz and Brooke Sefcik set the fourth-inning tone when they led off with back-to-back singles, then advanced to second and third base off Michuda's sacrifice bunt. Madison Ganir knocked in Zinkiewicz from third base with an RBI-groundout to give Carthage a 4-3 lead. Wheaton took advantage of a passed ball, which tied the game 4-4 in the fifth inning before Carthage ended the contest with six unanswered runs.
 
The Lady Reds notched a fifth-inning run off Zinkiewicz's RBI-single that plated Veronica Pieters, which gave them a 5-4 lead. Alonzo's grand slam highlighted Carthage's six-run sixth inning that pushed their lead to 10-4. Alexandra Millett and Juarez chipped in RBI-singles for Carthage in the sixth inning.
 
Alonzo went 3-for-3 with five RBI's at the dish for the Lady Reds, while Zinkiewicz and Juarez each tallied a pair of hits on the day. Carthage out-hit Wheaton 11-5 in the contest. Bernero pitched the first three innings before she handed the reigns to Alonzo, the pitcher of record, for the final four. The duo teamed up to allow four runs (three earned) on five hits, and strikeout six batters.
 
The Lady Reds will host Augustana College (Ill.) (DH) in their 2018 home finale on Tuesday, April 24 at the Carthage Softball Field. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.