O'Fallon, Ill. – The Carroll University softball team scored three runs in the sixth inning to send the game to extra innings, but eventually fell in 10 innings to Wash U on Sunday afternoon by a score of 4-5.
Breanna Roberts drew the loss after coming into the game in the third inning.
Kaylee Learman and
Claudia Spencer collected two hits apiece, with Spencer gaining two RBIs.
The Pioneers (3-1, 0-0 CCIW) collected eight hits on their four runs, but stranded nine runners on the bases through their 10-inning affair. The Bears outhit the Pios by five, and recorded five players with two hits.
After cleaning up game one for the Pioneers,
Grace Bradley took the circle first. Her rocky start in the first inning left the Pioneers down 0-2. Bradley faced 10 batters and surrendered five hits, two earned runs, but struck out a Bear. One of Bradley's earned run came from a successful steal attempt from third base to home.
Roberts came on in the third inning allowing one run on eight hits while striking out four in 7.1 innings of work.
The women struggled to put up much if any offense through the start of the contest. After an error in the second inning loaded the bases for the Pios, three straight outs sent the women back to the dugout.
After giving up a run in the bottom of the fifth, the Pioneers broke into the run category, with Spencer's RBI double to left center to score
Amber Jacobson. A pitching change by the Bears did not slow down the women's momentum, after Learman scored on
Mathena Higgins' fielder's choice.
Kate Christian pinch hit for
Emily Green, and smacked her first career single and RBI to score Spencer, and tie the game at three apiece.
After the tiebreaker rule was implemented in the top of the tenth inning, Spencer drove in her team leading second RBI of the game and put the Pioneers up one.
The Bears took their chance in the bottom of tenth, and tied the game after a single up the middle. Wash U scored the final run of the game on a fielding error by Wagner.
The Pioneers take a break the rest of this week, until their spring break games begin in Clermont, Florida, kicking off against the Mount Union Raiders.
