DECATUR, ILL.—Weather forecasts provoked the Carthage College softball team to hit the road for a Sunday-afternoon affair at Millikin University in what was originally scheduled to be a home contest. The Big Blue out-hit the Lady Reds 7-2 in game one, which proved to have no bearing on the outcome as Stefanie Guercio's complete-game pitching effort propelled Carthage in a 3-1 win. Millikin rebounded with a 3-2 victory (10 Innings) in game two off Maggie Comerford's game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10^th inning that scored Kalli Farmer from third base.
 
The split sends Carthage's record to 23-11, 9-5 CCIW, which keeps them in second place by a half-game over North Central. Millikin exits Sunday with a 25-11, 7-7 CCIW mark.
 
Lady Reds 3, Millikin 1
 
Carthage notched all three of their runs in the fifth inning. Makenzie Miller drove-in Courtney Polanski (hit by pitch) with a single, while Alexandra Millett's two-run double scored Danielle Koziczkowski (walk) and Guercio (Miller's pinch runner) to push the score to 3-0.
 
The Big Blue turned a Lady Reds error into a run in the seventh inning to narrow their deficit to 3-1, where things stayed final.
 
Guercio allowed seven hits, one run (none earned), one walk and struckout five batters to improve her pitching record to 15-4 for the Lady Reds. Millett and Miller each tallied a hit for Carthage.
 
Millikin 3, Lady Reds 2
 
Kalli Farmer accounted for all three of Millikin's runs scored in the contest, which began with her third-inning RBI-single that drove in Gowin (single) en route to a 1-0 edge. After Kelsey Domagala drove-in Angie Stepanski (pinch ran for Miller, who doubled) with a fourth-inning RBI-single that knotted the game 1-1, Farmer made the score 2-1 with another RBI-single for Millikin in the fifth inning that scored Taylor Jordan.
 
Brooke Sefcik had ice water in her veins in the seventh inning, where she doubled and scored off Danielle Koziczkowski's single to tie the contest at 2-2.
 
Things stayed that way until Farmer tripled and scored off Comerfield's game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10^th inning to lift Millikin to a 3-2 victory.
 
Naomi Alonzo went the distance on the pitching rubber with 9 2/3 innings of work, where she allowed 11 hits, one walk and struckout two batters in the losing effort. Brooke Sefcik went 2-for-4 at the plate for Carthage.
 
The Lady Reds will cap their 2019 regular season at home on Tuesday, April 30 against Illinois Wesleyan University (DH) at 3:00 p.m.