MAYVILLE, N.D. - The Carroll Softball team capped its 2026 Regular Season at Mayville State with a decisive fifth-inning breakout in the opener, then finished the sweep by holding off a late rally for a 10-5, 9-7 pair of wins on Monday in North Dakota.
GAME ONE: Carroll 10 - Mayville State 5
Carroll opened the scoring in the second inning of the opener. Brooke Thompson (Billings, Mont. / JR) and Ella Seaman (Belgrade, Mont. / SO) knocked back-to-back singles early in the frame, with Thompson crossing the plate on a passed ball, and Seaman coming home on a Madison Walker (Ridgefield, Wash. / JR) single late in the frame to take a 2-0 lead, but the Comets would answer with a solo shot to lead off the bottom half of the frame.
Taylor Sayers (Helena, Mont. / SO) kick-started an action-packed fifth inning with an RBI single, while Carlee Smith (Blackfoot, Idaho / JR) came in behind her on error behind the plate. Thompson added an RBI double, Brynn Notbohm (Miles City, Mont. / SO) and Kati Slater (Yamhill, Ore. / SR) tacked-on two more RBI singles, and Walker capped the big inning with an RBI on a fielder's choice to put the Saints on top 8-1.
Again, the Comets responded. A three-run triple, followed by an RBI single negated much of the Carroll damage from the top half of the frame and pulled Mayville State within three at 8-5.
Carroll closed the door on any potential comeback in the sixth inning, as Seaman blasted an RBI double into right, and Notbohm brought her home with an RBI single to stretch the lead back to five runs where it would finish, 10-5.
Thompson and Seaman were outstanding in the opener, going 3-4 and 2-3, respectively, while each scoring three runs. Walker and Notbohm each tallied a pair of RBI's, as eight of Carroll's nine starters finished with at least one hit.
McKinley Ermshar (Battleground, Wash. / SO) picked up the win, going all seven innings allowing five earned on eight hits, eight walks, and five strikeouts.
GAME TWO: Carroll 9 - Mayville State 7
A three-run third inning proved to be the difference-maker in Carroll's series finale victory.
Much like the opener, Carroll's first run came on a wild pitch. Walker doubled the lead with a sac-fly, and then Carlee Smith (Blackfoot, Idaho / JR) added an RBI single to give the Saints a 3-0 lead.
The lead ballooned to 6-0 in the fourth inning, as Slater scored on a double steal. Sammie Labrum (Kalispell, Mont. / SR) drove in one run with an RBI single to left-center, and then later came home on a Seaman RBI fielder's choice.
Mayville State responded with four runs on four hits in the home half of the fourth to make things 6-4, then added one more run in the fifth to pull within one.
Smith drove home her second RBI of the evening in the sixth inning, and Riley Simone (Cody, Wyo. / SO) would get in on the fun with an RBI single of her own later in the frame to stretch Carroll's lead to 8-4. Sayers provided an insurance run in the seventh with an RBI single into right, and the Saints held on for a win even while allowing a pair of Comet runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Mackenzie Depaoli (Fernley, Nev. / JR) earned her second win of the season, allowing six earned on 12 hits while striking out six in her complete game effort.
Carroll finishes the season at fourth in the Frontier Conference standings with a 13-13 record in league play. They will now turn their attention towards an opening round game of the Frontier Tournament against five-seed Bismarck State on Thursday in Dickinson, N.D., with a scheduled first pitch of 10 a.m.
Visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of the event, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.
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