TUCSON, Ariz. - The Carroll College Softball team picked up their first sweep of the season, knocking off Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) and Viterbo (Wis.) in comfortable fashion on day two of the Tucson Invitational Games on Sunday.

GAME ONE: Carroll 7 - Dakota Wesleyan 4

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A big third inning propelled Carroll to a morning win over Dakota Wesleyan, as Kennedy Venner (Billings, Mont. / SR) improved to 3-1 with her complete game that featured 11 punch outs to just a pair of walks.

The vast majority of the DWU damage was done in the top half of the first. A pair of Carroll errors, paired with three hits and a sac-fly gave the Tigers an early 3-0 advantage.

Dakota Wesleyan continued to control the early innings, cruising through until the third where the Saints would come to life.

Kati Slater (Yamhill, Ore. / SR) led things off with a single into left, then beat out a throw at second on a Brynn Notbohm (Miles City, Mont. / SO) grounder to the left side. Riley Simone (Cody, Wyo. / SO) helped get Carroll on the board with a bunt that led to a throwing error, which allowed Notbohm to advance to third and Slater to scamper home. Two batters later, Brooke Thompson (Billings, Mont. / JR) drove in a pair with a triple down the line in right, knotting things up at 3-3. 

Taylor Sayers (Helena, Mont. / SO) brought home Thompson with a sacrifice fly to center, then Tayelynn Puyleart (Meridian, Idaho / FR) doubled to center. Carlee Smith (Blackfoot, Idaho / SO) had the first RBI of her big day, driving home Puyleart with a single up the middle to give Carroll a 5-3 lead after three.

Brooke Thompson blasted the first homer of the young season for the Saints in the home half of the fifth, a leadoff solo shot to center, before an error in the back-end of the frame led to the Saints' seventh run of the game.

The Tigers did their best to come back in the seventh, getting one back after a string of three hits, but Venner punched out the final batter on three-straight pitches to end the game and secure Carroll's second win of the event.

While DSU out-hit Carroll in the game (DSU 12, CC 10), the Saints' base-knocks carried more weight in the end.

Thompson led the way for Carroll, going 2-3 with three RBI on her triple and homer, while Kati Slater also finished 2-3 in the nine-hole.

GAME TWO: Carroll 13 - Viterbo 4 (Five Innings)

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The second leg of the doubleheader belonged solely to the Fighting Saints. Former Gatorade Player of the Year Kathryn Emmert (Helena, Mont. / SO) picked up her first career victory, giving up just a pair of runs on three hits over her three innings of work in the run-rule win.

Following a one-two-three top half for the Saints, Viterbo struck first in the bottom half of the opening frame. A pair of early walks led to an infield single that plated the game's first run.

RBI Doubles by Labrum and Ella Seaman (Belgrade, Mont. / SO) in the second inning helped give Carroll their first runs of the afternoon. Lilly Main (Spokane, Wash. / FR) picked up her first hit of the season late in the frame, driving in one more to give the Saints a 3-1 lead.

Labrum extended the lead to 4-1 in the third inning, with an RBI single driving home one.

Carroll broke the game wide open in the fourth, scoring six runs on four hits and an error in the frame. Excellent plate discipline led to three walks, and Puyleart got the big inning started with a two RBI single into right. Carlee Smith added another pair with a sharp double to the fence in right, before eventually scoring on a passed ball, helping give Carroll a 10-2 lead.

Puyleart and Smith came up big again in the fifth, with an RBI double and single, respectively. Jolee Burgoyne (Helena, Mont. / SO) drew a bases-loaded walk to plate one more run, and the Saints also pulled off a successful double steal of second and home to put themselves in line for the mercy rule victory.

Mckinley Ermshar (Fernley, Nev. / SO) struck out a pair in the bottom half of the frame, putting an emphatic close on Carroll's first run-rule win since 2024 (12-1 Win at Warner Pacific - April 6, 2024).

Both Puyleart and Smith finished with three hits and three RBI, while Sammie Labrum added in two RBI on her 2-2 afternoon.

Ermshar was solid in relief, striking out four batters while allowing just a pair of hits in her 2.0 innings of work.

The Saints will enjoy a day of rest on Monday, then take on Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.) and William Penn (Iowa) on Tuesday afternoon.