Clermont, Fla. - Carroll's softball team brought their 2024 Spring Break to a close Friday morning, narrowly losing to Trinity (Conn.) and Mt. St. Mary (N.Y.) by scores of 1-0 and 10-9, respectively.
The day's first game saw a classic pitcher's duel, with the only run coming in the top of the fourth on an RBI single up the middle by Trinity (6-3).
Carroll (6-10) finished the contest with four hits, coming from four different players (
Abby Curtis,
Antoinette Napoli,
Kiana Johnson, and
Reagan Goluch, who recorded a double.
Andrea Kuhne (4-3) suffered the tough luck loss, striking out five batters without issuing a walk and allowing one run on eight hits in a seven-inning complete game.
The final day of the Pioneers' trip was a near-comeback that came up just short.Â
The Pios took the early lead on a two-run single by
Bridget Rath in the top of the first inning, which was followed by an RBI single off the bat of Goluch. Mt. St. Mary then plated an RBI single in the bottom of that inning, but Carroll would get that run back in the second when Curtis scored on a passed ball.
After scoring two runs in the second, Mt. St. Mary scored two more on a single in the third to take a 5-4 advantage. They would score four more runs in the fourth to break the game wide open, but Carroll answered with three more of their own in the top of the fifth, coming on an error, a groundout, and an RBI single by Goluch.
Mt. St. Mary scored a much-needed insurance run in the fifth, as Carroll entered the final inning trailing 10-7. In that final frame, the Pioneers made things interesting, scoring on a Goluch single and a sac fly by
Madison Palasz, but the potential-tying run would be stranded on second base when the final out was recorded.
Curtis finished with four of Carroll's 12 hits, while adding a pair of stolen bases. Goluch added three hits and three RBI, while Rath also drove in three runs, while also scoring twice, and going 2-for-4 at the dish. Johnson added two hits in two at-bats, while also walking twice and scoring a pair of runs.
The Pioneers will now return home, where they will travel to UW-Whitewater for a doubleheader on March 29. That twinbill begins at 1 p.m. in Whitewater, Wis.
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