CLERMONT, Fla. - The Carthage College Firebirds softball team spent the week in sunny Clermont for Spring Break, taking on ten teams in six days. The team started out the trip losing four out of its first five games, but rebounded to win three of its next five to conclude play at 4-6 overall. A number of first-year athletes performed exceptionally for Coach Gillmore's team down south, providing plenty of reasons to be excited for the remainder of the 2023 schedule.
Game One
- Final Score: Western New England 4, Carthage 2
- Location: Hancock Park 2 - Clermont, Florida
- Records: Carthage 0-1, Western New England 3-0
Game Two
- Final Score: Mount St. Mary 8, Carthage 7 (F/8)
- Location: Hancock Park 2 - Clermont, Florida
- Records: Carthage 0-2, Mount St. Mary 2-0
Game Three
- Final Score: Carthage 5, Plymouth State 3
- Location: Hancock Park 3 - Clermont, Florida
- Records: Carthage 1-2, Plymouth State 1-5
Game Four
- Final Score: Simpson 4, Carthage 1
- Location: Hancock Park 3 - Clermont, Florida
- Records: Carthage 1-3, Simpson 8-2
Game Five
- Final Score: Springfield 12, Carthage 3 (F/5)
- Location: Hancock Park 5 - Clermont, Florida
- Records: Carthage 1-4, Springfield 5-0
Game Six
- Final Score: Carthage 3, UW-River Falls 2
- Location: Hancock Park 2 - Clermont, Florida
- Records: Carthage 2-4, UW-River Falls 7-4
Game Seven
- Final Score: No. 18 Rowan 4, Carthage 0
- Location: Hancock Park 2 - Clermont, Florida
- Records: Carthage 2-5, Rowan 12-1
Game Eight
- Final Score: Macalester 5, Carthage 4
- Location: Hancock Park 3 - Clermont, Florida
- Records: Carthage 2-6, Macalester 7-7
Game Nine
- Final Score: Carthage 6, Fredonia 1
- Location: Hancock Park 4 - Clermont, Florida
- Records: Carthage 3-6, Fredonia 0-11
Game Ten
- Final Score: Carthage 12, Lawrence 4 (F/6)
- Location: Hancock Park 1 - Clermont, Florida
- Records: Carthage 4-6, Lawrence 0-6
Game One
- The Golden Bears got out to an early 1-0 lead after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded before Carthage's Maddie Conway got out of the jam without further damage.
- The Firebirds knotted things up at one apiece in the bottom half of the first inning as Izzy Hernandez scored freshman Clare Rettler on a sacrifice groundout .
- Freshman Gwen Hendrick, in her first collegiate game, drove in Sarah Bennett in the fifth inning on an RBI single to give the Firebirds a 2-1 lead.
- Hendrick's run-scoring single was quickly answered in the top of the sixth, as Western New England knotted things up at two with an RBI single of its own.
- In the top of the seventh inning, the Golden Bears delivered a crushing blow on a two-RBI single with two outs. Hana Adler limited any further damage, but Carthage trailed 4-2 heading into its final at-bats. Though Carthage generated a baserunner, Western New England held on for the victory.
Game Two
- Mount St. Mary got out to a firm 3-0 lead after a sacrifice scored a runner in the bottom of the fourth inning.
- Carthage's Kiley Lamb delivered the first run of the game for the Firebirds, as an RBI single scored Kelly Gaiser to shrink the deficit to two (1-3).
- Down two in the top of the seventh inning, first-year student-athlete Gracie Vlach delivered the clutch, game-tying hit to send the game into an eighth inning. Vlach's double scored Kiley Lamb and Kirby Peters.
- Mount St. Mary's failed to score in the bottom of the seventh with the score knotted at 3-3, leading into a pivotal eighth inning. Carthage's offense delivered, scoring three runs in the top half of the inning to give the Firebirds a 7-3 lead. Ibarra, Peters, and Finegold each reached base and collected key RBIs.
- Down four heading into their its last at-bats, Mount St. Mary's found a spark and scored five to clinch the comeback victory. The Knights scored the walk-off hit on a sacrifice fly to left field.
Game Three
- Veteran infielder Sarah Bennett delivered the first runs of the game against Plymouth State, as a two-RBI single put Carthage ahead 2-0 in the first inning.
- Plymouth State answered with a two-run double in the top of the fourth inning to even things up.
- A solo home run for starting pitcher Maddie Conway put the Firebirds back on top, leading 3-2 after four innings. A pair of RBIs from Abby Wierzbicki and Rylee Johnson in the sixth gave Carthage a firm 5-2 lead with only an inning remaining.
- Though Plymouth State scored a run and threatened for more in the top of the seventh inning, Carthage held on to win 5-3 - its first victory of the young season.
Game Four
- A four-run first inning for a very good Simpson team gave the Storm a strong lead to open the game.
- Carthage's Gracie Vlach put the Firebirds on the board in the third inning, as the first-year infielder singled to dive in Abby Wierzbicki.
- The Firebirds threatened in the top of the fifth - their best chance to get back into the game. Though the team loaded the bases with only one out, a double play line-out slammed the door and prevented a Carthage run.
- Simpson's pitching limited the Firebirds the rest of the way as Carthage fell to the Storm 4-1.
Game Five
- The undefeated Springfield Pride got out to a hot start against Carthage, scoring the first four runs of the game over its first two innings. Carthage had an apt response, scoring the game's next three runs to chisel the deficit to one run (3-4). A pair of RBI singles from Chronos and Rettler, as well as a sacrifice fly from Capuano, got Carthage back into the game.
- The Pride answered Carthage's 3-0 run with a dominant fourth inning offensively, scoring eight runs to take a formidable 12-3 advantage.
- With only one runner reaching base in the top of the fifth inning, Carthage's offense couldn't close the gap and the game ended after five innings due to the score differential.
Game Six
- River Falls struck first, scoring on an RBI single in the first inning.
- Izzy Hernandez evened things up at 1-1 with an RBI single of her own in the bottom half of the first.
- A Falcon home run in the top of the sixth inning gave River Falls a 2-1 lead before Izzy Hernandez homered herself just a few outs later to tie things back up at 2-2.
- Kelly Gaiser hit the game winning home run just two batters after Izzy Hernandez homered to tie things up. The home run from Gaiser put Carthage out front 3-2, and the team's pitching held things down to secure a key 3-2 win.
Game Seven
- The No. 18 nationally-ranked Rowan Profs scored first, walking with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning to take a 1-0 lead. The Profs scored once more in the third, pushing the lead to 2-0.
- Carthage threatened in the top of the fifth inning, putting runners on second and third, but couldn't convert as Clare Rettler drilled a liner to short to end the inning.
- Rowan added a run to its lead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring on an error. Hana Adler limited any further damage on the mound, sending action into the sixth inning.
- The Firebirds put a pair of runners in scoring position in the top of the sixth inning with just one out, but failed to generate any offense - ending the threat. Rowan added to its lead in the next half inning with an RBI single, while the Firebirds went three-and-out in the top of the seventh. 11-1 Rowan secured its 12th win of the year, while the Firebirds fell to 2-5.
Game Eight
- Macalester scored three runs in the fourth inning to take a 3-0 lead before Carthage answered with a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning. Kelly Gaiser scored Clare Rettler on an RBI double.
- Carthage's deficit grew to four as Macalester scored a pair in the top of the seventh, but the Firebirds answered at the plate to bring them back into the game. A pair of sacrifice fly outs from Maddie Conway and Izzy Hernandez lessened the deficit to two, and another big hit from Kelly Gaiser brought Carthage back to within one.
- The Firebirds were unable to score the tying run after Gaiser's single, leading to the defeat.
Game Nine
- The Firebirds scored the first four runs of the day, with two of the first four runs coming courtesy of Izzy Hernandez. The veteran first basemen scored Gwen Hendrick on an RBI groundout in the first inning before singling in Clare Rettler in the third.
- Fredonia answered in the bottom of the third with an RBI double but failed to do any further damage offensively throughout the remainder of the game. Carthage added a pair of runs in the fifth for good measure, as Hendrick and Hernandez each picked up a pair of RBIs.
- Izzy Hernandez was sensational against Fredonia, driving in three runs on two hits.
Game Ten
- In its final game in Clermont, Carthage's offense exploded in a route of Lawrence. An eight-run second inning for Carthage created a daunting deficit for Lawrence, whose offense couldn't catch up.
- Picking up RBIs in the second inning for Carthage were Cynthia Ibarra, Kirby Peters, Kelly Gaiser, Izzy Hernandez, and Hana Adler. Adler also scored a run when Kristina Chronos reached on an error.
- A four-run inning form Lawrence in the fifth added some suspense to the game, but Carthage's Gracie Vlach and Kiley Lamb each delivered key two-RBI singles in the bottom half of the inning for insurance. The game ended after five innings, with Carthage running away with a 12-4 triumph to finish its trip at 4-6 overall.
- First-year infielder Gracie Vlach was sensational in Clermont, starting in all ten games and putting up a gaudy .424 batting average. Vlach was second on the team in runs batted in (five) during the trip and first in total bases (14).
- Veteran first basemen Izzy Hernandez hit the ball exceptionally during the trip, slashing .320/.400/.440 with nine RBIs - good for the team lead. Hernandez also hit one of the team's three home runs.
- The first-year tandem of Clare Rettler and Kelly Gaiser were forces at the plate for the Firebirds in Florida. Rettler was 10/20 at the plate, scoring a team-high seven runs and swiping a team-high four steals, all while recording an on-base percentage of .545. Gaiser was 6-14 at the plate including a home run, which contributed to her team-leading .714 slugging percentage.
- Gwen Hendrick was fourth on the team in hits, going 6-20 (.300) at the plate with a pair of RBIs in seven starts. Fellow outfielder Kirby Peters was also productive offensively for Coach Gillmore, slashing .385/.429/.462 in six games.
- Sarah Bennett's 1.094 OPS was second on the team, as the veteran infielder walked a team-leading five times in six starts. Bennett also led the team in doubles (two) and on-base percentage (.556).
- On the mound, Maddie Conway started five games and put up an excellent 2.76 ERA in 33 innings pitched. Conway struck-out 19 batters, allowing an opponent batting average of only .208. The veteran pitcher picked up three wins while also hitting a home run at the plate.
- The Firebirds will fly back to the cold of the Midwest, with a return to competition scheduled for Tuesday, March 21 against Lake Forest College in Illinois.
