DE PERE, Wis. - The Carroll University softball team defeated longtime former Midwest Conference rival St. Norbert College 4-1 in the opening game of nonconference doubleheader at Miron Construction Field on Wednesday afternoon.
It was the first in-state victory of the season and second straight for Carroll, which has won three of its last four and improved to 10-6 overall.
The Pioneers scored three runs on three hits and took advantage of two errors in what proved to be a decisive top of the second inning.
Freshman center fielder Katelyn Schneider (Sussex, Wis.) hit a two-run home run to ignite the key scoring surge for the Pioneers, who finished with eight hits and didn't commit an error. Freshman first baseman Madison Wagner (Harrison, Wis.) scored from third as the result of a fielding error to round out the momentum-shifting inning.
Carroll collected it final run in the fourth as Wagner scored on a throwing error.
Senior right fielder Annika Graves (Muskego, Wis.) went 2-for-4 for Carroll. Schneider, Wagner, junior pinch hitter Rosalie Jrolf (Dousman, Wis.), junior third baseman Lexy Kemnitzer (McFarland, Wis.), sophomore designated player Allyssa Demma (Orland Park, Ill.) and freshman second baseman Maria Mundt (Milwaukee, Wis.) each added a hit.
Junior right-hander Amanda Osterhus (Munster, Ind.) was the winning pitcher, allowing one earned run oon seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks in going the distance.
Osterhus, who improved to 5-4 overall, worked out of a pressure-packed bases-loaded situation with two outs in the bottom of the seventh by forcing a game-ending groundout.
Freshman first baseman Taylor Ullman had an RBI single in the fourth for St. Norbert, which dropped to 6-5 overall.