HELENA, Mont. – The Carroll College softball team played the first game in school history Saturday afternoon against the University of Great Falls and after a complete game shutout from Carroll ace Megan Gipe the Saints tallied a 1-0 win in the first game but fell in second 4-3 after a three-run rally by the Argos.
 
The Saints scored a run on the second hit of the game.  Paige Blake led off the first inning with a single to left field and advanced to second on a stolen base. Gipe gave herself all the run support she would need with a single down the left-field line to score Blake and put the Saints up 1-0.
 
The game then turned into a pitcher's duel between Gipe and UGFs Keeley Van Blaricom. Van Blaricom has the better season ERA but today she was outpitched by Gipe, the Carroll pitcher allowed four hits in seven innings and struck out four for the shutout.
 
"I think if we had a little bit better run support through this point in the season that Megan would be in the conversation for one of the better pitchers in the country," head coach Aaron Jackson said. "Today we got the one run that we needed and she went to work. She kept them off balance all game long, got great results and our defense played well behind her."
 
The Saints were in control of the second game after building a 3-1 that they held going into the top of the seventh.
 
Carroll built the lead on power. Kinley Pope hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to give Carroll the lead. After UGF tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fifth, the Saints took the 3-1 lead with a two-run home run to left center.
 
"I was really excited to see the offense come alive a little bit in the second game," Jackson said. "Those two home runs were absolute bombs and I am excited for Kinley to get the first home in a home game in Carroll history.:
 
The Argos battled back to take the lead in the tip of the seventh. Carroll couldn't muster up some timely hitting in the bottom of the seventh and the Argos pulled out the 4-3 win.
 
"Our old nemesis came back to bite us, we left too many runners on base," Jackson said. "We had the bases loaded in the sixth and couldn't get a run in and that really hurt us when we came down to it."
 
Despite dropping the second game, Jackson is excited about the team and grateful to the Carroll faithful that showed up en mass to support the Saints.
 
"I want to thank the Saints fans," Jackson said. "We had 250-300 fans that showed up in the wind and the rain, it was cool to see. We were really happy that we could win that first game for them and reward them for braving this weather to support us."
 
The Saints and Argos are right back in action Saturday but play at the Great Falls multi-sports complex. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m.