MESA, Ariz. - The Carroll College Softball team wrapped up a week-long Arizona road trip with a pair of losses to Benedictine-Mesa, 10-4, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon.

The Fighting Saints (3-5) battled early in both games, before giving way in the later stages to the Redhawks.

GAME ONE: 

The Saints got on top early in the morning game, grabbing a pair of runs in the top half of the first. An error allowed Morgan Sunchild (Great Falls, Mont. / JR) to reach first, while also bringing home Brroklyn Dryden (Deer Park, Wash. / SO) for the game's first run. Sammie Labrum (Kalispell, Mont. / JR) kept her hot bat working in the early season, blasting an RBI double to add on another. 

The Redhawks would get one back in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Perez, making it 2-1 Carroll after one.

Taylor Sayers (Helena, Mont. / FR) matched Labrum with an RBI double of her own in the third inning, extending the Saints' lead back to two, before Benedictine managed to tie things up in the bottom half of the frame. An error by the Saints allowed one run to score, and then an RBI single from McDaniel knotted the game at 3-3 after three.

Ellie Koerber (Billings, Mont. / SR) scored on a throwing error by the catcher in the fourth inning to give Carroll a one-run lead, but it would be short-lived. 

The Benedictine bats came alive over the final two frames, as the Redhawks exploded for six runs on seven hits to run away with the win, 10-4.

Kennedy Venner (Billings, Mont. / JR) struck out eight, but gave up 10 runs on 10 hits in her complete game effort.

As a team the Saints went 7-31 on the afternoon, with no player registering more than one hit in the game.

GAME TWO:

The Saints didn't want their time in the Arizona sun to end, as they needed extra innings to decide the second game of the afternoon.

A pitcher's duel was on the docket for the second game, with each team scoring only once in regulation. The Redhawks got their one run in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from McDaniel, while Carroll's lone run in regulation came by way of a Benedictine error in the fourth.

The game went to extra's with international rules in effect, and Carroll would score twice in the top of the eighth. Ella Seaman (Belgrade, Mont. / FR) brought home a pair with a 2 RBI double to put the pressure on the home team. An RBI single in the bottom half of the frame brought the Redhawks within one, before McDaniel sent everyone home with a walk-off two-run homer to win it 4-3 for Benedictine.

Abbie Amend (Spokane, Wash. / JR) had perhaps her best outing of the young season, striking out seven while allowing just six hits in her 7.2 innings of work.

The Saints had only five hits in the afternoon game, two of which came from Ella Seaman who finished her game 2-4 with 2 RBI.

Carroll will return to a snow-covered Helena this evening, and will begin preparations for their CCC home-opener against College of Idaho at the end of the month.

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

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