Carthage 9, Wisconsin Lutheran 1 F/5
Wisconsin Lutheran 7, Carthage 6
KENOSHA, Wis. - The Carthage softball team hosted the Wisconsin Lutheran College Warriors on Friday afternoon at Wiers Family Stadium and Madrigrano Field. What appeared to be a close contest after the opening frame of the first game, quickly became an offensive showcase for the Firebirds as they defeated the Warriors in five innings. 

What appeared to be an incoming sweep for the Firebirds quickly turned into a loss in the second game of the doubleheader, as an offensive surge for the Warriors as well as defensive mishaps for the Firebirds shifted teh momentum and allowed the Warriors to  win in comeback fashion and force the series split.



GAME 1

The Warriors opened the ball game with a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. Carthage starting pitcher Maddie Conway settled in with back to back strikeouts, before allowing an RBI single to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. Conway earned her third strikeout of the inning and get out of the bases loaded jam with minimal damage.

The Firebirds opened the bottom of the third inning with three consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. Izzy Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing home Clare Rettler to tie the game at 1-1. The Warriors got out of the inning without allowing another run to cross the plate.

The Warriors opened the second inning with a walk, but a double play for the Firebirds cleared the bases and kept the Warriors off the board in the visiting half of the inning.

The Firebirds opened the bottom of the second with three consecutive singles, once again loading the bases with no outs in the frame. A line out to third base nearly cost the home squad a golden opportunity to score, but an RBI triple to left center from Gwen Hendrick would clear the bases and give the Firebirds their first lead of the day. In the next at bat, Peyton Kryza grounded out to second base, allowing Hendrick to come in to score. The Firebirds led the Warriors 5-1 after two innings.

Conway was on cruise control in the third inning, using a fly out and a double play to get out of the inning after only facing three hitters.

Conway was able to kick-start the Firebirds offense in the bottom half of the inning, hitting a triple to right center to lead off the Carthage half of the third. A sacrifice fly from Skylar Swatkowski scored Conway to extend the Carthage lead to 6-1. Rylee Johnson reached first on an error and later came around to score on an infield single from Rettler.  Rettler then came around to score on an RBI double for Hendrick. A fly out would end the inning with the Firebirds holding on to an 8-1 lead.

Both sides went scoreless in the fourth inning, with Conway being the only baserunner in the inning on a walk.

Conway set down the Warriors hitters one-two-three in the top half of the fifth by way of a strike out looking, a line out to left field, and a flyout to straightaway center field. Conway set down the last eight hitters who came up to bat.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Azahna Luschen hit a one-out double to left field and put the game-clinching run in scoring position. A flyout to right field for the second out gave the Warriors hope to see a sixth inning of play, but an RBI triple from Hendrick would force the run rule and give the Firebirds a 9-1 victory.

Conway earned her fifth win on the year, as she improved to 5-2. Conway threw five complete innings, allowing just one run on five hits. She earned five strikeouts on 82 pitches.

GAME 2

The Warriors used an inside the park home run to strike first in the top half of the opening inning, as Maddy Heller came around to score to lead off the ball game. A walk and a single gave the Warriors an opportunity to add on to their early lead, but Carthage starting pitcher Olivia Hristov found a way to force a pair of groundouts to work out of danger.

A walk for Kryza was the only base runner the Firebirds could get on in the bottom of the first, as the Warriors made quick work of the home squad on the defensive end.

Hristov set the Warriors down in order in the top of the second, earning her first strikeout of the day to end the inning.

Hana Adler led off the bottom of the second inning with a walk. Hristov then tripled to deep right center, scoring Adler and tying the game at 1-1. Back to back walks would load the bases for Abby Wierzbicki, who singled to center field to score Hristov, as all of the runners went station to station and advanced one base. Rettler then grounded out to second, allowing Luschen to score as the Firebirds took a 3-1 lead after two innings.

Emma Faubel came in to pitch to start the third inning. Despite allowing a pair of hits, Faubel worked her way through the inning without allowing a run to score.

The Warriors forced a pair of groundouts to start the third, before a Faubel walk would disrupt the one-two-three inning. A flyout left the runner stranded at first as the inning came to a close.

Faubel made quick work of the Wisconsin Lutheran hitters in the top of the fourth, using a groundout, and a pair of flyouts to get through the inning without any damage on the scoreboard.

A two-out single from Rettler and a walk from Hendrick gave the Firebirds an opportunity to extend the lead in the bottom of the fourth, but both runners would be left stranded. 

A bunt single in the top of the fifth put a runner on base for the Warriors with one out in the inning. A hard hit ball that found its way through the right side would bring the run around to score, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Another single and a sacrifice fly would bring home the tying run before the inning concluded.

The Firebirds answered right back in the bottom of the fifth inning. Hernandez led off with a double to right center field. Adler then singled, moving Hernandez to third to put runners at the corners with no outs. Kiley Lamb came in to pinch run for Adler, and quickly stole second base to take away the double play opportunity. Luschen then hit a one-out single through the left side to score Hernandez to give the Firebirds back the lead, while still having a pair of runners on base. Luschen stole second, once again squandering possibility of a ground ball leading to a  routine double play. A passed ball brought Lamb home to score and moved Luschen up to third base. Johnson grounded out to second base for the second out of the inning which allowed Luschen to score as the Firebirds held a 6-3 lead heading into the sixth inning.

A lead-off single, followed by a double to up the middle would cut the Warriors deficit to 6-4 with no outs in the top half of the sixth. Hristov re-entered the game to pitch for the Firebirds and immediately forced a lineout for the first out of the frame. An infield single gave Wisconsin Lutheran an opportunity to take the lead, with the tying run on first and the go-ahead run at the plate. The runner on first stole second, while the runner on third came home to score on the throw down, cutting the Firebirds lead to just one run. Hristov locked in with the tying run in scoring position, earning a pair of strikeouts to end the inning with the lead intact.

Rettler singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth, but was caught trying to steal second base for the first out. Hendrick and Kryza went down in order to end the inning.

The Warriors tied the game with a lead-off home run that stayed on the fair side of the first base line. The Firebirds got the first out before allowing the go-ahead run to reach base on a fielding error. A fielder's choice gave the Firebirds the second out of the inning, and the defense was just one out away from giving Carthage a chance to break the tie in the bottom of the seventh. A triple down the right field line from Alea Anhalt would score the go-ahead run and give the Warriors a 7-6 lead. Anhalt would be stranded at third, giving the Firebirds a shot to come from behind for the win.

The Firebirds could muster just one hit in the bottom of the seventh inning, as the Warriors completed the comeback victory.

Hristov was handed her first loss of the season, falling to 2-1. She threw 4.0 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits. She tallied three strikeouts on 46 pitches.


 

• Hendrick went 4-4 in game one with one run, five RBIs, a double, and a pair of triples.
• Rettler went a combined 4-7 with two runs, two RBIs, and four stolen bases.
• Luschen went 2-4 with three runs and an RBI

The Firebirds (12-6) return to action on Saturday, April 6 as Carthage hosts Elmhurst to open CCIW play. Action begins at 12 p.m. at Wiers Family Stadium and Barbara Madrigrano Field. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.