KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The Carroll College Softball team saw their 2024 season come to a close with a 12-1 loss to British Columbia on Sunday afternoon at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship.

The Fighting Saints (20-28-1) kept things close for six frames, but a large seventh inning by the Thunderbirds would ultimately end Carroll's quest for a CCC title.

Following a scoreless first inning, the Thunderbirds would capitalize on a Carroll mistake in the second frame to grab an early 2-0 lead. A leadoff double, paired with some small ball would give UBC two runners in scoring position with just one out. Kennedy Ainge found a single that would score one, and a throwing error on the play in would score an additional run to put the T-Birds on top 2-0.

Kaitlyn Kim would double the Thunderbird lead in the fifth inning, hitting a sharp double to left-center and UBC would extend their lead to 4-0.

Libby Evans (Pocatello, Idaho / FR) would provide a spark for the Saints off of the bench. The freshman came in to pinch hit in the bottom of the fifth and promptly drove home Layne Bauer (Missoula, Mont. / SR) on a single up the middle to put Carroll on the board, 4-1.

Unfortunately for the Saints, things would unravel in the top of the seventh inning. The Thunderbirds would bat around in the frame, scoring eight runs on seven hits and an error, ballooning the lead to 12-1 with Carroll down to its final three outs.

Carroll went down in order in the home half of the inning, and their tournament run would come to a close.

The Saints went a collective 2-24 at the plate, while the T-Birds went 15-35 as a team.

The 2024 season was an up-and-down one for the Saints, with plenty of reason for optimism moving forward. A 20-win season featuring the program's first ever postseason victory, three returning all-conference selections, a new winter home on Valley Bank Field at Nelson Stadium, and back-to-back conference championship appearances are all steps in the right direction for a young team filled with potential in the coming seasons.

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