GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Carroll College Softball team picked up a pair of early season victories on Thursday, doubling up Arizona Christian 2-0 and 7-6 at the ACU Softball field in Glendale.
The Fighting Saints (3-3) evened their season tally with a pair of wins on Thursday over the Firestorm (1-3) with a shutdown pitching performance in game one, and an offensive outburst in the nightcap.
GAME ONE:
Kennedy Venner (Billings, Mont. / JR) put on a show in the opener, following a full day of rest on Wednesday. The 2024 First Team All-CCC pitcher was outstanding in the circle, tossing a complete game shutout in which she punched out eight batters, while allowing just three hits.
Carroll picked up a run in the second inning to give themselves a lead that wouldn't be surrendered on a
Brookelynn Jackson (Keizer, Ore. / SO) RBI.
They added another run in the top half of the third, with
Sammie Labrum (Kalispell, Mont. / JR) knocking an RBI base hit up the right side of the infield.
From there, the Saints would turn to Venner (2-1), who recorded six of her eight total strikeouts over the final four innings, including a pair to end the game in the seventh.
Sammie Labrum continued her strong start to the year, leading the lineup with a 2-4 effort and 1 RBI.
GAME TWO:
Lefty
Abbie Amend (Spokane, Wash. / JR) notched her first victory of the season (1-2) in the late game, as Carroll completed a late comeback for the 7-6 win.
Carroll got their first run of the game early in the first, as
Liz Ybarra (Fullerton, Calif. / SR) came home on a wild pitch.
The Firestorm responded in the middle innings, as a Lakuto triple into the gap in right center would bring home two runs in the third, followed by a Giddings single to bring her home and give ACU a 3-1 lead after three. Another extra-base hit in the fourth inning would extend the lead, as Miles drove in another with a double to make things 4-0 in favor of the home team after four.
Morgan Sunchild (Great Falls, Mont. / JR) got Carroll back on the board with an RBI single in the fifth, before
Ella Seaman (Belgrade, Mont. / FR) tacked on another with a sac fly to bring the Saints within one, 4-3.
ACU got one back from the Saints in the sixth inning on an RBI from Grubb, taking a 5-3 lead into the final frame.
Down to their last three outs, the Saints responded in a big way.
Kati Slater (Yamhill, Ore. / JR) doubled down the left field line, bringing home two runs to even things up a 5-5, while
Riley Simone (Cody, Wyo. / FR) matched Slater's left field double to bring in another pair behind her. The four-run seventh inning gave Carroll new life, turning the table on the Firestorm.
The Firestorm would get one run to cross home in the bottom of the frame, but the effort would not be enough as the Saints held off the run and claimed the exciting come-from-behind win, 7-6.
The Saints had their best offensive showing throughout the lineup of the season, tallying 12 hits on 31 appearances. Slater went 1-2 with a walk and 2 RBI, Simone was 1-3 with two lead-changing RBI's, while both Sunchild and
Brooklyn Dryden (Deer Park, Wash. / SO) went 2-4 at the plate.
Janey Adair (Laramie, Wyo. / JR) got the start for the Saints, but Amend would go down as the pitcher of record, finishing with two hits, two runs allowed, and a pair of strikeouts for her first win of the year.
Carroll will wrap up their week in the desert with a doubleheader against Benedictine Mesa on Saturday before heading home and preparing for conference play later this month.
Visit www.carrollathletics.com on Saturday for a full recap of the action, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.
FOLLOW THE FIGHTING SAINTS
Facebook: @carrollcollegeathletics
Instagram: @cc_saints
X: @CCsaints
#MarchOn
