HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Softball team wrapped up the home portion of their 2026 season on Sunday afternoon, dropping a morning contest 10-8 to Valley City State, while bouncing back for a 2-0 win in the series finale on Valley Bank Field at Nelson Stadium.

GAME ONE: Valley City State 10, Carroll 8

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The third game of the weekend series proved to be the highest-scoring, as both teams exchanged blows in a back-and-forth marathon. 

The Vikings grabbed the early lead right in the top half of the first inning. Some early traffic turned into a two-run error late in the frame, as VCSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a pair of unearned runs.

One of the league's best hitters, Brooke Thompson (Billings, Mont. / JR) changed the tune with one swing of the bat in the bottom half of the frame. With two outs and two strikes against her, the Carroll home run leader gave the Saints a one run lead with a towering three-run blast into left-center, her fifth of the season.

Valley City State regained the lead in the second inning, as Madden Bogenrief drove home a pair with a single into center. Bogenrief extended the lead once again in the fourth, with a two-run home run to left. Right behind her, Kennadi Stone came up with a little-league homer, as poor Carroll decision making and a wild throw led to an inside-the-park round trip to give VCSU a 7-3 lead.

Jasmine Barela (Beaverton, Ore. / JR), who has been swinging a very hot bat as of late off the bench, came up with another clutch pinch hit in the bottom half of the fourth. The transfer roped a shot into the gap in left-center, driving in a pair of runners to bring Carroll back within two at 7-5.

Down by two in the sixth, the Saints rallied. Ella Seaman (Belgrade, Mont. / SO) brought Carroll within one run with an RBI single up the middle. Tayelynn Puyleart (Meridian, Idaho / FR) would level things up at 7-7 later in the frame on a triple, while senior Sammie Labrum (Kalispell, Mont.) wrapped up the big inning with an RBI ground-rule double to put Carroll in front 8-7.

Unfortunately for the Saints, the Vikings would respond with three runs on a pair of hits in the seventh, as VCSU found a way to scrape out the game three win.

GAME TWO: Carroll 2, Valley City State 0

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The Saints salvaged the day, and the series with a tremendous performance in the circle by Kathryn Emmert (Helena, Mont. / SO) in the finale.

Emmert was lights-out in a highly-impressive complete game shutout. The sophomore made quick work of the Vikings, allowing only three hits and no walks while punching-out five batters.

The pitching effort was backed-up with some outstanding play in the field as well, most notably a run-saving 7-6-2 gun-down from the fence in left to end the fourth inning and keep the Vikings off the board. VCSU's Jenna Decker doubled, but Brooke Thompson quickly got the ball into cut-off Madison Walker (Ridgefield, Wash. / JR), who rifled in a perfect ball to the plate from shallow left to erase the only scoring threat of the day.

Sammie Labrum put Carroll on the board in the third inning, picking up an RBI on a bases-loaded sharp grounder to short, while Walker capitalized on another bases-loaded opportunity in the fourth inning, coming up with an RBI single to give the Saints a 2-0 lead they wouldn't surrender.

The Saints will have a quick turnaround, as they head North to complete the back-half of their season series against Providence on Tuesday afternoon in Great Falls. Start times for the doubleheader are slated for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.