CLERMONT, Fla. – The Carroll University softball team went 0-2 on Sunday afternoon on day two of their spring break tournament, falling to Springfield and Mt. St. Joseph. The Pioneers are 1-3 on the road trip so far after taking down Wheaton (MA) and falling to Saint Benedict on Saturday.
GAME 1
Carroll's early lead was not enough to hold them over against Springfield, falling 3-5 Sunday morning.
Riley Pavelka took the loss in the two-pitcher affair for the Pios.
Breanna Roberts got the start and went three and a third innings allowing three hits and three earned runs on two walks and two strikeouts. Pavelka entered the game and the Pios tied the score, but Pavelka's two runs allowed cost her the decision.
Abby Curtis led Carroll with two of the team's six hits, with
Lauren Harshbarger scoring twice.
Kiana Johnson and
Sydney Raddeman added a double apiece.
Carroll got on the board in the first inning with Raddeman's RBI double to send in Harshbarger from third with two outs. Two innings later, Johnson's extra-base hit scored Curtis who reached on a leadoff single.
Springfield scored three runs in the top of the fourth on two home runs off Roberts. Pavelka stepped in and got the final two outs of the inning. Carroll bounced back in the bottom of the fifth, with Harshbarger scoring on an error during Johnson's at-bat. The Pio had runners at second and third but couldn't get more runs on the board before a foul ball to the catcher ended the inning.
Springfield led off with a bunt single in the top of the seventh and scored on an error committed by the Pios. Pavelka surrendered one more tun but got out of the inning with a ground ball. The Pioneers went three-up, three-down in the bottom of the seventh on three straight pitches.
GAME 2
Grace Bradley picked up her first loss of the season in a closely contested game with Mt. St. Joseph, falling 1-2.
Bradley went the distance for the Pioneers allowing just five hits and one earned run, with two walks and three strikeouts. The Carroll offense mustered three hits and the lone run scored from Curtis.
After a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt, Curtis reached third in the inning and scored as Raddeman reached on a fielding error in the top of the first. Harshbarger gave Carroll their first hit in the top of the third with a single to right field.
Bradley looked steady until a two-out walk in the bottom of the third led to an eventual run. Bradley was stuck in a bases-loaded jam but got out of it with a strikeout to end the inning with the score tied 1-1.
With two down in the bottom of the fourth, an error by the Pios allowed a runner on second to reach home, surrendering their lead.
Carroll put three runners on the remainder of the game. Carroll's best efforts to tie the game came in the top of the seventh with a lead-off single, but that was the furthest the runner reached in that inning.
The Pios will play tomorrow, Monday, March 13 against Western New England and Rowan at 11:30 AM and 2 PM EDT.
