WAUKESHA, Wis. - Sophomore third baseman Lexy Kemnitzer (McFarland, Wis.) drove in the winning run on a one-out, bases-loaded walk-off RBI single off the right field fence in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Carroll University softball team upset No. 22-ranked North Central College 2-1 in the opening game of a mild, sunny College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin doubleheader at Kilgour Field on Tuesday afternoon.
It was the seventh one-run victory of the season for Carroll, which won its third straight to improve to 9-2 in the highly contested conference standings and 21-10 overall.
Junior right-fielder Annika Graves (Muskego, Wis.) scored the game-winner after reaching on a walk, advancing to second on a single by freshman shortstop Jordan Wermund (Stevensville, Mich.) and taking third as the result of an error.
Kemnitzer went 3-for-4 to help power a nine-hit offensive attack for Carroll, which has won 14 of its last 18 games.
"After hitting so many foul balls, it was a little upsetting so I just tried to focus in on the next pitch and attempt to drive in a run," said Kemnitzer, of the tension-filled final at-bat. "When I noticed the shift was on and they were playing in, I really wanted to hit it toward right field. That's when I was finally able to make solid contact and drive it over their heads off the fence. It was a fastball on the outside and it felt good the minute it hit the bat.
"With the game on the line, we knew that we had the ability to adjust to a slower pitcher and string together some hits. In the end, everything clicked and came together with some big hits when they counted the most. Coming off of a successful weekend, we just wanted to take advantage of the momentum and play our game. That's when good things began to happen."
Junior center fielder Rosie Craine (Wheaton, Ill.) had two hits with Wermund, junior catcher Veronica Rodriguez (South Bend, Ind.), junior first baseman Kelsey Edwards (Rockford, Ill.) and freshman pinch-hitter Allyssa Demma (Orland Park, Ill.) each adding a hit.
North Central, which dropped to 7-4 in conference and 23-6 overall, collected the first run of the game as junior shortstop Taylor Clugston scored from third on a throwing error in the top of the second.
The Pioneers came through with a key defensive play as North Central attempted to extend the lead in the third on a high, hard-hit two-out double to deep center field by junior second baseman Rachele Belletini.
On the momentum-shifting sequence, Craine played the ball off of the fence and made a strong throw to junior second baseman Maggie Erdman (Jefferson, Wis.) who fired the relay to home plate. Rodriguez made the catch, blocked the plate and immediately tagged the runner to end the inning. 
Carroll answered in the bottom of the fifth as Craine delivered a clutch game-tying RBI double - ultimately setting the stage for Kemnitzer's last-inning heroics.
Sophomore right-hander Amanda Osterhus (Munster, Ind.) pitched a four-hitter with five strikeouts and six walks to earn a complete-game victory.
Osterhus, who improved to 12-4 overall and currently has a single-season program-record 163 strikeouts, forced nine flyouts and six groundouts in the contest.
"It was a close game the entire way so it was nice to finally be able to string together a few big hits at the end and get another important conference victory," said Osterhus, a first-team all-conference selection in 2017 who has been named CCIW Pitcher of the Week twice this season. "With North Central being ranked and each game meaning a lot at this point of the season, we did our best to stay focused and work through the pressure.
"When I saw them setting up toward the left side, I knew Lexy (Kemnitzer) had the ability to make the most of the moment. It was exciting to see her fight through the situation and respond with the winning hit."
Carroll head coach Amy Gradecki was pleased with the way her team made the most of the opportunity to play on its home field and stepped up to another difficult , pressure-packed challenge.
"We're a really young team but showcased our resilience and depth throughout the game," said Gradecki, who has guided the Pioneers to 20 or more victories three of the last four seasons. "From beginning to end, everyone in the lineup stepped up to the challenge and made valuable contributions to help earn another big victory. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that we would be able to execute with the game on the line.
"I have trust in the ability of every player who steps onto the field or into the batter's box so it was exciting to see good things happen once again. This performance showed that we can compete with anyone and should act as a great motivator in the games to come. Now we just want to make the most of the moment and keep it going."