HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Softball team started the 2025 Cascade Collegiate Conference slate with a bang on Friday, earning a pair of walk-off wins over No. 16-ranked College of Idaho in the first two games ever played inside Nelson Stadium.
The Fighting Saints (5-5, 2-0) made the most of their first opportunity to compete on Nelson Stadium's new artificial turf, as a pair of freshmen capped two exciting, back-and-forth games against the Yotes (3-3, 0-2).
GAME ONE:
Friday afternoon's early game saw a shaky opening frame performance from the Saints. C of I jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top half of the first, thanks to a pair of homers. Madelyn Powell opened the scoring with a solo shot, before Lolo Walker hit a monstrous two-run shot to left field just two batters later. A
Morgan Sunchild (Great Falls, Mont. / SR) double in the bottom of the inning would score one, making it 3-1 in favor of the Yotes after one.
Alyssa Lybbert (Las Vegas, Nev. / SR) evened the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third with a 2 RBI double, but C of I would get a run back thanks to an error in the top of the fourth to go back in front 4-3.
The final three innings of the game saw a combined 14 runs between the two teams, with the game's momentum flip-flopping each half inning.
An RBI single from Ashlynn Nixon in the top of the fifth extended the Yotes lead to 5-3, before Carroll put together a big bottom half of the frame. After loading the bases, the Saints would score their first run of the inning on a walk.
Kati Slater (Yamhill, Ore. / JR) would reach safely on the next at-bat thanks to an error, advancing to second on a wild throw. Two more runs would also cross home on the errant throw, and Sammi Labrum (Kalispell, Mont. / JR) added one more on a sacrifice fly to deep right field on the ensuing at-bat. The four-run outburst gave Carroll a 7-5 lead heading into the sixth.
Brinley Iverson hit the third home run of the game for the Yotes in the top of the sixth, and Powell would add her RBI with a single later in the frame to help C of I pull even once again, 7-7.
Lybbert, an Honorable Mention All-CCC selection in 2023, drove in her second RBI of the afternoon with a single to center field in the bottom of the sixth, giving Carroll a one-run lead heading into the final frame.
C of I's Hallie Campbell once again would pull the Yotes even in the top of the seventh, knocking an RBI double to the fence in left.
Carroll pitcher,
Kennedy Venner (Billings, Mont. / JR), found herself in a bit of jam in the late game. Kamryn Ham got the go-ahead RBI on a single with everyone safe, leading to a third RBI of the game from Powell, who scored one more on a fielder's choice up the middle. Venner would get out of the frame without any further damage, and the Saints would trail by two, down to their final three outs.
Kenna Thomas (Belgrade, Mont. / SR) came up clutch in the seventh for the Saints, bringing Carroll within one on a two-out single.
Two batters later,
Ella Seaman (Belgrade, Mont. / FR), who earned CCC Player of the Week honors after a terrific collegiate debut earlier this month, ripped a sharp hit down the right field line. The Seaman double would reach the fence, plating both the game-tying, and game-winning, runs.
Venner (3-2) went all seven innings, allowing 10 runs on 10 hits, while coming out with four strikeouts and more importantly, the win.
Lybbert was the best bat for the Saints in the opener, going 3-4 with 3 RBI.
GAME TWO:
Abbie Amend (Spokane, Wash. / JR) got the start in the circle for the Saints in the nightcap, breezing through the first couple of innings untouched.
Taylor Sayers (Helena, Mont. / FR) hit a bloop single into shallow right in the top of the first to score the game's first run, but indecision on the base path from the runner at second would result in a throw-out to curtail any further runs in the frame.
Sammie Labrum extended the Carroll lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning with a two RBI single to center field, before an error would lead to a 4-0 Saints lead later in the frame.
The Yotes got on the board in the third inning, as Kamryn Ham beat a throw from very shallow right field to make things 4-1.
Riley Simone (Cody, Wyo. / FR) got the run back for the Saints in the bottom of the third, scoring one on an RBI single to right.
The Yotes would add a run in the top of the fourth on a Lolo Walker sac-fly to deep right. Madelyn Powell continued her impressive day at the plate in the fifth inning, blasting her second homer of the day, a two-run shot that made the score 5-4 after five.Â
Another sacrifice fly from C of I in the sixth inning would knot the game at 5-5, this one off the bat of Brinley Iverson.
Kenna Thomas came up with another timely late-game RBI single in the bottom half of the sixth, giving the Saints a one-run lead heading into the final frame once again, 6-5.
Chloe Flerchinger opened the seventh inning with a ground-rule double, and after being moved over on a bunt she would ultimately score on a passed ball to tie things back up at 6-6 and put the pressure back on Carroll.
A pair of walks, a bunt, and a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the seventh would bring
Brynn Notbohm (Miles City, Mont. / FR) to the plate with the bases loaded, and a chance to be the hero. The freshman delivered, looping a single into right center to score one and give the Saints their second walk-off win of the day, this one finishing under the lights.
Amend went 5.0 innings, allowing seven hits, and four runs with a strikeout, while Venner grabbed the win in a relief role.
Labrum led the way offensively in game two, going 2-3 with 2 RBI and a walk. Thomas also wrapped up a good day at the plate, going 2-4 with 2 RBI.
The teams will return to the turf tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. for the final conference game of the series, before a non-conference tilt in the afternoon closes the weekend.
Visit www.carrollathletics.com tomorrow evening for a recap of the action, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.
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