Game #1 Box Score
Game #2 Box Score
The Carthage College softball team (24-11, 10-4 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 17th in the April 28 National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll and first in the April 28 NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional poll, split a Monday, May 3 doubleheader with non-conference opponent Judson University (29-25) at the Carthage Softball Field. Judson (Ill.) won the opening game, 10-6, with the Lady Reds taking the nightcap by a 6-2 margin.
In the opening game, Carthage took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Meghan Roman singled, stole second, advanced to third on a bunt and scored on a single by Stephanie Noel. Alyssa Schrader's two-homer run in the third, her eighth of the year, gave the Lady Reds a 3-0 lead. Nicole Dimiceli hit a solo homer for the Eagles in the fourth to cut the lead to 3-1. Judson took an 8-3 lead in the fifth, scoring seven times and sending 13 batters to the plate. The Eagles loaded the bases, and Carthage pitcher Kelsey Epping threw a wild pitch to allow the first run to score. Carrie Sensor followed with a two-run single and advanced on a wild pitch. Dimiceli singled in Sensor, and Lizzy Jacobson hit a two-run homer. Haley Secor singled, stole second and scored on a single by Danielle Curylo. Carthage brought it back to 8-6 in the fifth on an RBI-single by Jenny Burke and a two-run double by Katie Paulmeyer. The Eagles tacked on two final runs in the seventh. Lizzy Jacobson (15-8) was the winning pitcher for Judson, with Hallie Niewold picking up the save, her fourth of the year. Kelsey Epping (13-5) took the loss. Epping surrendered eight runs on seven hits and four walks over four and two-thirds innings, while striking out nine batters. Krystina Leazer took over in the fifth. Alyssa Schrader went three-for-four with two RBI.
Judson took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap on a two-run single by Lizzy Jacobson. Carthage took a 3-2 lead in the bottom half. Stephanie Noel drove in a run with an infield grounder. Kari Peterson hit a sacrifice fly, and Noel scored all the way from second on a wild pitch. The Lady Reds upped their lead to 6-2 in the fifth on a three-run homer by Stephanie Noel, her eighth of the year. Noel drove in four runs in the second game, with Ariel Yeager and Melissa Vitale both going two-for-three. Krystina Leazer (11-2), this week's CCIW "Softball Pitcher of the Week," was the winning pitcher. She allowed just two runs on seven hits and no walks over seven innings. Sarah Boyer (8-9) took the loss.
Leazer was the winning pitcher in a 3-1 game against Elmhurst on April 26 and a 12-4 game against Millikin on April 29. The win over Millikin gave the Lady Reds their first CCIW softball title since 1998. In non-conference action, Leazer defeated Ripon, 8-2, on April 27; the University of Chicago, 4-2, on May 2; and Judson University, 6-2, on May 3.
On Friday-Saturday, May 7-8, Carthage plays host to the CCIW Softball Tournament at the Carthage Softball Field in Kenosha, Wis. The top-seeded Lady Reds take on fourth-seeded Augustana College (Ill., 28-11, 8-6 CCIW) on Friday at Noon in a first-round game, with North Central (Ill., 30-10, 9-5) playing Illinois Wesleyan University (26-13, 9-5) in the other first-round game at 10 a.m.
