Waukesha, Wis. – The Carroll University softball team celebrated its four seniors on Sunday, Amanda Osterhus, Allyssa Demma, Emily Green, and Rachel Piontek. The Pioneers lost a difficult game with Augustana in game one by a score of 3-5 but came back with authority winning 11-6 in game two.
 
The Pioneers (18-16, 14-12 CCIW) finished both games with 19 total hits, four of which were extra-base hits. Claudia Spencer and Kaylee Learman both went yard with home runs in game two, and Piontek ripped a double over the left fielder's head to add two RBI. Sierra Grubor and Lauren Harshbarger scored three times. Bridget Rath's 14 game hitting streak was snapped in game one, but she extended her reaching base streak for the 18^th straight game.
 
Game 1
Spencer and Harshbarger put the first run of the game on the board from Harshbarger's leadoff single and Spencer's RBI double to right-center in the bottom of the third.
 
Osterhus' mid-game struggles continued into a second day. After allowing a single, three straight walks scored a runner to tie the game at 1-1. An ensuing bases-clearing triple gave Augie a 4-1 lead and soon ended the inning. Osterhus walked one more batter to start the fourth inning, which prompted a pitching change to Breanna Roberts. Roberts was able to get out of the inning and strand the runner.
 
Carroll cut into the lead in the bottom of the fifth, with Rath's fielder's choice RBI that scored Grubor. A wild pitch ball four scored Learman from third and sent Harshbarger to second and Rath to third. A strikeout ended the inning and the threat for more Pio runs.
 
The Vikings added one more security run in the top of the seventh of a double down the left-field line, scoring the leadoff batter who was hit by a pitch. Carroll put a runner on in the bottom of the seventh but could not complete the comeback.
 
Game 2
The second game started with a bang as Learman's two-run home run bounced off the Kilgour Field scoreboard. The Pioneers ran the score up to 6-0 in the top of the third, all starting with Mathena Higgins' leadoff walk. Learman scored Higgins but was called out at second trying to turn a single into a double. Demma followed suit with another RBI single. Harshbarger reached on an infield single but advanced on an error that scored Demma. Piontek in her first at-bat since 2020, doubled to score Harshbarger from second.
 
Augustana got three runs back off of Grace Bradley in the bottom of the third on bases-loaded hits and a fielder's choice. Bradley struck out the next two to get out of the inning. A fourth Viking crossed the plate in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single, but a play at the plate stopped more from coming in.
 
Spencer's leadoff home run came on a 3-1 count in the top of the sixth to bring the lead to 7-4. Osterhus relieved Bradley in the bottom of the sixth but loaded the bases with one out. Osterhus got out of the jam with a popup and a ground out. Carroll added to the lead in the top of the seventh thanks to Spencer's two-RBI single, followed by Maria Mundt's own two-RBI single.
 
Augustana added in two more runs trying to rally in the final inning, but Osterhus shut them out forcing a groundout to the shortstop with a runner on third.
 
Carroll travels to in-state rival Carthage on Tuesday for a make-up game from earlier in the season.