BELLEVUE, Neb. - It took more late-inning magic, but the Carroll Softball team found a way to battle back for a win in the second game of Thursday afternoon's doubleheader to pick up a series-opening split against Bellevue at the Renner Dennis Outdoor Athletic Complex.

GAME ONE: Bellevue 1, Carroll 0

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Carroll ace Kennedy Venner (Billings, Mont. / SR) twirled a gem on Thursday afternoon, getting the nod in the circle for game one of the four-game series, but would be pinned with an unfortunate loss as the Fighting Saints (9-11, 4-6) were held scoreless in a pitchers' duel.

Venner was outstanding in the opener, allowing just one run on one hit over her five innings of work. The senior entered the weekend averaging more than 1.0 strikeouts per inning, and added to the mark with eight punchouts to four walks.

The Bruins did all of their damage in the second inning. Following a leadoff walk, the Bruins advance a runner into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Venner struck out the next batter, but Bellevue's Savannah Short came up with a two-out RBI double down the line in left for BU's lone hit of the afternoon.

Carroll's best chance of the afternoon came earlier in the frame, as a Taylor Sayers (Helena, Mont. / SO) single moved a pinch-running Reyse Philips (Kittias, Wash. / SO) over to third. Sayers would steal second during the next at-bat, but a pair of strikeouts would end the frame, stranding two in scoring position.

Sayers was the lone player to record multiple hits in the game, going 2-3, while Sammie Labrum (Kalispell, Mont. / SR) and Madison Walker (Ridgefield, Wash. / JR) each added hits as well, as Carroll out-hit the Bruins 4-1 in the loss.

GAME TWO: Carroll 7, Bellevue 5

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Of the four Frontier Conference wins on the season for the Fighting Saints, three have come by way of final frame heroics, including Thursday night's thrilling four-run seventh inning to secure the day one split. Trailing by two and down to their final out, Carroll rallied in a big way for their fourth comeback win of the season. 

Madison Walker got into scoring position early in the frame with a double into right, and Taylor Sayers drew a four-pitch walk to put the tying run on base early in the frame, but a pair of fly-outs on either side left the Saints with little room for error.

RBI-leader Brooke Thompson (Billings, Mont. / JR) started the two-out rally, driving home Walker on an RBI single through the left side. Right behind her, Carlee Smith (Blackfoot, Idaho / JR) worked a full-count walk to load up the bases and put all the pressure on the Bruins.

A fielding error at short allowed last weekend's game one hero, Ella Seaman (Belgrade, Mont. / SO) to reach safely, but more importantly it allowed a pair of runners to cross home and completely flip the script. All of a sudden, the Saints had a 6-5 lead, and a pair of runners looking to add on.

Tayelynn Puyleart (Meridian, Idaho / SO) added on an insurance run with her third hit of the game, another RBI single through the left side, to give Carroll pitcher Kathryn Emmert (Helena, Mont. / SO) a two-run lead to work with in the bottom of the seventh. Emmert did her part, striking out a pair in the final frame to pick up her third win of the season.

Carroll had trailed by as many as three runs earlier in the game, with the Bruins holding a 3-0 lead through four innings. Walker put the Saints on the board in the top of the fifth with a two-RBI double, while Sayers continued her strong day at the plate with an RBI single later in the frame to knot things up at 3-3.

The Bruins went back on top in the sixth with a two-out, two-RBI double, but a resilient Carroll team did well to respond and pick up a critical early-season conference win.

Emmert went all seven innings for the Saints, allowing five earned on ten hits while striking-out a season-high seven batters.

Four different Saints recorded multiple hits in the win, led by Puyleart's perfect 3-3 effort at the plate. Walker, Thompson, and Brynn Notbohm (Miles City, Mont. / SO) all went 2-4 in the second game of the twin bill to help complete the comeback.

Another pair at the newly-opened Renner Dennis Complex is on deck for the Saints tomorrow, as they look for their first Frontier Conference series win in program history.