HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Softball team opened up their final series of the 2025 season with a split against Providence, winning the first before dropping game two in a Wednesday doubleheader at Nelson Stadium.
The Fighting Saints (16-24, 11-15) moved within one game of securing their third-straight postseason berth on Wednesday, splitting an afternoon pair against the Argos (9-27, 5-21).
GAME ONE: Carroll - 8, Providence - 2
Kennedy Venner (Billings, Mont. / JR) was simply electric in the first game of the series, mowing down Argo batters left-and-right to secure her 11th-win of the season.Â
The game's first run was plated in the bottom of the first, as a throwing error would sail out of play to put the Saints in front 1-0.
Morgan Sunchild (Great Falls, Mont. / SR) added an RBI single later in the frame to give Carroll a 2-0 lead after one.
Carlee Smith (Blackfoot, Idaho / SO) belted the first pitch in the bottom of the second well over the fence in center, extending Carroll's lead to three, while
Sammie Labrum (Kalispell, Mont. / JR) scored another run in the third on a double-steal with a throwing error at third.
Kenna Thomas (Belgrade, Mont. / SR) and Labrum posted back-to-back RBI doubles in the fourth inning, giving the Saints a healthy 6-0 lead with just three to play.
Venner was outstanding in the circle, punching out 12 Providence batters while allowing just five total hits on the afternoon.Â
The Argos got their only two runs of the game in the top of the sixth on a pair of sacrifice fly-balls from Sydnee Weber and Taylor Fuentes. The late Argo push was matched in the bottom of the inning, however, as
Kati Slater brought home one run on an RBI triple to deep right before scoring herself on a Thomas RBI single to give the Saints an 8-2 lead they wouldn't surrender.
Liz Ybarra (Fullerton, Calif. / SR) was an impressive 3-3 with a walk, scoring three runs in the opener. Labrum was effective in the middle of the order, going 3-4 with one run and one RBI.
GAME TWO: Carroll - 4, Providence - 6
Providence switched up the order in the second game, and the tweaks paid dividends as the Argos would knock
Abbie Amend (Spokane, Wash. / JR) out of the game after just 1.1 innings of work.
Sydnee Weber gave Providence its first lead of the day in the top of the first, coming up with a two-run home run just three batters into the game. Jaden Ruiz added an RBI single for the Argos later in the frame, and Providence carried a quick 3-0 lead.
The Argo lead would grow to four in the second inning as a bang-bang play at the plate was ruled safe on a fielder's choice up the middle.
Four-consecutive walks in the bottom of the second would give the Saints their first run of the game, before Ybarra continued her good day at the dish with another RBI single down the left field line to halve the Argo lead at 4-2 after two.
Kennedy Venner came on in relief in the second, but gave up a pair of hits in the fourth inning, followed by a two-run sacrifice fly by Weber to deep center field before being pulled.
The Saints would squander some good opportunities in the late innings, creating plenty of traffic on the bases but only coming away with a pair of sacrifice fly's from Sunchild and Smith, as their attempt at a comeback fell short.
Ybarra,
Kati Slater, and
Carlee Smith each finished with a pair of hits in the 6-4 loss.
The teams will return to Nelson Stadium tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. for a senior day affair, with Carroll needing just one win in the final CCC game of the year to punch their ticket to the postseason.
Visit www.carrollathletics.com tomorrow evening for a full recap of the action, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.
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