ROCK ISLAND, ILL.—A three-hour trek west was in the cards for the Carthage College softball team, who squared-off against Augustana College (Ill.) (DH) in a Thursday-night bout in Rock Island, Illinois. Home runs from
Courtney Polanski and
Donna Stevens propelled Carthage to a 6-3 win over the Vikings in game one. The Vikings responded from a 2-0 deficit with four unanswered runs en route to a 4-2 win over the Lady Reds in game two.
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The split sends Carthage's record to 18-8, 6-4 CCIW, and the Vikings'Â mark to 16-18, 5-7 CCIW.
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Lady Reds 6, Augustana 3
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Carthage set the tone with a 2-0 advantage in the second inning, thanks to
Alexandra Millett's two-run double that scored
Stefanie Guercio (walk) and
Kelsey Domagala (single).
Naomi Alonzo, who led off the third inning with a double and reached third on
Ellie Bernero's groundout, scored on a wild pitch to push the score to 3-0.
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Carly Wilson's two-run home run in the third inning narrowed Augustana's deficit to 3-2, but Polanski and Stevens (two-run) responded with home runs for Carthage in the fourth that pushed their edge to 6-2. The Vikings added a sixth-inning run, but couldn't push more across in a 6-3 loss.
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Millett tallied three hits for the Lady Reds while Polanski's home run highlighted her 2-for-3 outing. Stevens' home run gave her a 1-for-3 day. Guercio improved her pitching record to 11-3, where she allowed five hits and two walks while striking out nine batters. Carthage out-hit the Vikings 8-5.
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Augustana 4, Lady Reds 2
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Brooke Sefcik gave Carthage a 2-0 edge in the first inning with a bases-loaded single that scored Polanski (walk) and Millett (double). That was all the offense Carthage mustered as the Vikings responded with four unanswered runs en route to a 4-2 win.
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The Lady Reds and Vikings each notched seven hits. Sefcik, Alonzo and Millett each tallied a pair of hits for Carthage.
Ellie Bernero and Alonzo combined to surrender seven hits, four runs and five walks in the losing effort on the pitching rubber.
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Carthage will host Carroll University (DH) on Tuesday, April 23 at 3:00 p.m.