WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Carroll University softball team defeated North Park University 6-1 in the finale of a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin doubleheader at Kilgour Field on Saturday afternoon.
It was the second consecutive sweep for Carroll, which extended its winning streak to four games to improve to 2-2 in the conference standings and 14-9 overall.
The Pioneers scored the first run of the contest in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by senior designated hitter Veronica Rodriguez (South Bend, Ind.).
Freshman shortstop Madison Wagner (Harrison, Wis.) delivered a clutch, three-run double as Carroll extended its lead to 4-0 in the second.
Junior third baseman/relief pitcher Lexy Kemnitzer (McFarland, Wis.) followed with an RBI double in the third and junior left fielder Rosalie Jrolf (Dousman, Wis.) added a run-scoring single in the sixth for the Pioneers, who didn't commit an error.
Rodriguez, Wagner, Kemnitzer and freshman center fielder Sierra Grubor (Milwaukee, Wis.) each had two hits to help power an energized nine-hit offensive attack.
Junior right-hander Amanda Osterhus (Munster, Ind.) picked up her second victory of the afternoon by pitching two scoreless innings, yielding no hits with three strikeouts. 
The Pioneers showcased their depth in the circle by using four pitchers, also including Kemnitzer, sophomore right-hander Rachel Piontek (Green Bay, Wis.) and freshman right-hander Kaylee Learman (Greenwood, Wis.).
Learman demonstrated her mental toughness and composure by pitching out of a pressure-packed bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the sixth, abruptly forcing a flyout and following it up with an inning-ending groundout.
The momentum-shifting inning also featured a sparkling defensive play by Grubor to help thwart a potential North Park rally with runners on first and second and no outs.
On the play, Grubor charged on a hard-hit line drive up the middle, fielded the ball and immediately fired a pin-point throw to sophomore catcher Amanda Elkins (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) who made the catch and tagged the lead runner at the plate.
"The key to our success today centered around the offense and how everyone from the freshmen to the seniors came out hitting," said Carroll head coach Amy Gradecki, who guided the Pioneers to the prestigious CCIW Tournament last year. "When that happened, we were able to get off to a fast start, put runs on the board and it made it easy to build off of the momentum. 
"Throughout the day, we were able to utilize our entire pitching staff and watch them excel under some key situations. Then we backed it up with a defense that played relatively solid over the course of the afternoon. All in all, I was really happy with the entire effort.
For Gradecki, getting the opportunity to see her scrappy, determined team finally play its home opener was special.
"We loved it," she added. "It's hard being on the road for 90 percent of the season so it was great to be back home and playing in front of all of our fans again. It was a beautiful day, there were a ton people and we came away with two big wins. We've had back-to-back sweeps and now just want to keep it going."
North Park dropped to 1-5 in conference and 9-11 overall.
Carroll is scheduled to host the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, which is currently hovering just out of the top 25, in a nonconference doubleheader at 10 a.m. Sunday.