BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Despite a gritty, hard-fought effort, the Carroll University softball team lost to No. 6-ranked Illinois Wesleyan 7-6 in 11 innings to cap a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin doubleheader Sunday afternoon.
It was the fifth consecutive conference loss for Carroll, which dropped to 7-7 in the highly contested conference standings and 21-16 overall with the heartbreaking road loss.
Illinois Wesleyan, which won its ninth straight game en route to clinching its second-straight CCIW regular-season title and 16th in program history, improved to 14-0 in conference and 29-6 overall with the home-field twin-bill sweep.
The Titans, who are slated to host the four-team CCIW Tournament on May 3-4, remain atop the standings followed by second-place Carthage (9-5), third-place North Central (10-6) and fourth-place Wheaton (9-7).
The Pioneers are currently tied with Millikin (7-7) but both were officially eliminated from playoff contention Sunday.
Carroll was originally scheduled to host Millikin at Kilgour Field to wrap-up the season Monday, April 29th but the doubleheader was postponed because of rain.
The pressure-packed showdown took on historical significance as it was the longest game played by the Pioneers since April 21, 2012 (a 1-0 17-inning Midwest Conference loss to Ripon).
Carroll collected its first run in the top of the first inning as freshman center fielder Sierra Grubor (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored as the result of a throwing error.
The Pioneers followed with three runs on three hits to extend the lead to 4-0 in the third, powered on an RBI single to center field by freshman first baseman Kaylee Learman (Greenwood, Wis.). Learman and junior left fielder Rosalie Jrolf (Dousman, Wis.) each scored on an error to round out the scoring spree.
Illinois Wesleyan trimmed the deficit to 4-1 in bottom of the third.
Carroll added a single run in the seventh on an RBI single by Learman but the Titans answered with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game 5-5 and force extra innings - responding with a three-run, bases-loaded double and capitalizing on a costly throwing error as junior shortstop Sam Berghoff scored with the tying run.
Sophomore third baseman Allyssa Demma (Orland Park, Ill.) belted a lead-off solo home run to left field - the first of her collegiate career - in the top of the ninth inning to regain a lead for the Pioneers, who amassed 15 hits but committed three errors.
Illinois Wesleyan tied the game 6-6 in the in the bottom of the ninth as Berghoff, a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-American last year, scored on a wild pitch.
Junior left fielder Brittany Murphy drove in the winning run on a walk-off double to left-center field in the bottom of the 11th for the Titans, who had nine hits and also committed three errors.
Grubor - who currently leads the CCIW with an impressive .455 batting average - went 4-for-6 with two runs scored and a stolen base for Carroll, which stranded 12 baserunners. Jrolf pounded out four hits while senior right fielder Annika Graves (Muskego, Wis.) - the program's all-time leader in hits who has a .395 batting average in the CCIW - added three hits, highlighted with a double.
The Pioneers utilized four pitchers in the marathon contest, including junior starter Amanda Osterhus (Munster, Ind.), junior Lexy Kemnitzer (McFarland, Wis.), Learman and sophomore Rachel Piontek (Green Bay, Wis.).