ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - Freshman designated hitter Elaine Anderson (Bristol, Wis.) went 3-for-4 and drove in the winning run on a dramatic, two-run walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead the Carroll University softball team to a 6-5 victory over Augustana College to cap a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin doubleheader at Carver Field on Sunday afternoon.
The gritty, come-from-behind performance completed a successful weekend for Carroll, which registered back-to-back conference sweeps to improve to 5-1 in the highly competitive league standings and 14-10 overall.
The Pioneers are currently tied for second with Carthage.
It was the third doubleheader sweep of the season for Carroll, which has won seven of its last eight - claiming five conference victories in the process.
Trailing 5-4 with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, Anderson stepped up to the pressure-packed challenge by delivering a hard-hit single to end the hard-fought battle.
Senior starting pitcher/third baseman Hannah Miller (Chicago, Ill.) and senior pinch runner Laura-Lynn Schenk (Kenosha, Wis.) each scored on the tension-filled timely hit to end the game.
Miller, a right-hander, allowed five earned runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts and four walks through 6 1/3 innings before being relieved by freshman right-hander Lexy Kemnitzer (McFarland, Wis.) in the seventh inning.
Kemnitzer, a right-hander who earned the pitching victory, entered as the game remained tied 4-4 with a runner on second and one out, promptly forcing a groundout.
With two outs in the seventh, Augustana scored a run as the result of an error to claim a short-lived lead but fell victim to an inning-ending strikeout - ultimately helping to set the stage for Anderson's heroics.
Carroll, which had five hits, scored four unanswered runs through the opening two innings.
Miller drove in the first run of the contest on an RBI fielder's choice in the first for the Pioneers, who extended the lead to 3-0 in the second on a two-run double by senior shortstop Megan Kohlmetz (Appleton, Wis.).
Kohlmetz eventually scored on an error.
Sophomore shortstop Carly Wilson went 2-for-4 for Augustana, which dropped to 0-4 in conference and 7-15 overall. Senior center fielder Amanda Ebert hit a solo home run for the Vikings, who had 10 hits but stranded 11 baserunners.