LA GRANDE, Ore. - The Carroll College Softball team played one more game than originally anticipated on Friday at No. 25 Eastern Oregon, but managed to win the moved contest to go 1-2 in the three-game series, which will forego the fourth, and final, scheduled game.

The Fighting Saints (13-17, 9-9) played three Cascade Collegiate Conference games against Eastern Oregon (20-10, 11-6) on Friday afternoon, electing to skip the fourth game (non-conference) originally scheduled for tomorrow, with snow expected to hit the La Grande area.

Game one of the day was an absolute pitchers duel, eventually being decided in extra innings.

Kennedy Venner (Billings, Mont. / FR) and Kaylie Hoskins put on a show, with both pitchers carrying a no-hitter through four innings.

The Mountaineers finally put the first hit on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning, but were unable to do much more. Carroll would hold EOU scoreless, finishing regulation with a 0-0 score.

Carroll's first hit of the game finally came in the top of the extra frame courtesy of Annie Davidson (Boise, Idaho / SR),  breaking up Hoskins' no-hit bid, but the Mountaineers would get the last laugh.

A bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning would give EOU the 1-0 game one win.

Venner finished game one with nine strikeouts and just seven hits over 30 batters faced.

Carroll made a change on the hill for game two, giving Abby Hanley (Las Vegas, Nev. / SR) the nod, while Eastern Oregon continued rolling with Hoskins.

Game two featured more hits, with the teams combining for 13 total (Carroll 7, EOU 6), but runs were still at a premium.

Again the game was tightly contested, running scoreless through five innings.

The bottom of the sixth inning, however, would spell trouble for the Saints. A passed ball provided EOU with a runner on third with two outs, but Saints could not close out the inning scoreless. Karsyn Zaragosa singled to score the runner from third, and then a Heley Ebner double scored Zaragosa to give the Mountaineers a 2-0 advantage, which Carroll would be unable to overcome.

With weather forecasts calling for snow tomorrow, the decision was made to play a third game on Friday, counting towards CCC standings, and forego the fourth game of the series.

All signs pointed towards another low-scoring affair, with both teams scoreless through three innings, but the teams would combine for 15 runs over the final four in what would be the most explosive game of the day.

Kaitlynn Ayers (Twin Falls, Idaho / JR) ignited the Saints in the fop of the fourth. Ayers blasted a three-run home run, giving Carroll its first runs of the day, and a lead that they would not surrender.

Ayers again kickstarted the Saints in the sixth, singling down the left field line to score one and start off a five-run inning for the Saints.

With the bases loaded, Carroll scored another run on a hit-by-pitch, followed immediately by an error at short on the next batter to give the Saints a 6-0 lead. One more run was walked in before Alyssa Lybbert (Las Vegas, Nev. / SO) picked up an RBI single to put Carroll on top 8-0.

EOU grabbed one run back in the bottom of the sixth, but Anika Bjornson (Lake Oswego, Ore. / JR) answered with an RBI single in the top of the seventh to make it 9-3.

Hannah Tyree hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh, but the Mountaineer rally would prove to be too little too late, and Carroll would take win to maintain a .500 record in CCC play.

On deck for the Saints is a doubleheader with Providence, scheduled for Tuesday of next week in Helena. 

Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of that doubleheader, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.