Saints Split with EOU
HELENA, Mont. – Carroll College softball earned a first day split with Eastern Oregon Friday in doubleheader action at the Centennial Park, winning the first game 7-3 before giving up a seventh-inning lead to fall 3-2 in game two.
The Carroll offense was humming in game one. The Saints notched 12 hits and racked up seven runs while giving up three runs on six hits.
The second game, the two pitchers combined for 19 strikeouts, and EOU scored a pair of runs in the seventh to earn the win.
"Game one, we followed our process offensively," head coach
Aaron Jackson said. "We took quality at-bats, hit the ball hard and into play, we ran into the middle with some balls and great things happen when you have that approach. The second game we had a selfish mindset and had some at-bats that just weren't great. Everyone was trying to be a hero instead of doing what we did in the first game."
Kaydee Parsons set the tone for the offense in the first game, sending a home run to left-center in the second inning to put the Saints up 1-0.
In the fourth inning,
Jaylin Kenney singled to right field to score Parsons and
Brittany Smith.
The Mounties got on the board with a solo home run in the fifth, but the Saints answered with a run on a single by
Megan Gipe to left field that scored
Anna ApRoberts.
EOU added a pair of runs in the sixth inning before the Saints again answered with a pinch-hit home run from
Kendall Mooney that scored Smith and Parsons to give Carroll much-needed insurance.
The Mounties looked to be gaining momentum in the seventh before an illegal batter was called out for the third out which ended the game.
The Saints put up 12 hits, tied for the most this season. The seven runs are the most in a conference game for 2017.
"We showed our potential, where we can be offensively," Jackson said. "We just got to bring that every day. Even if we were as half as good as we were in the first game offensively, it should be enough to win games with our pitching staff."
The Saints took a 2-0 lead in the second game on a third-inning, two-run home run from
Ashley Davis to dead center field.
The Mountaineers scored in the fourth to cut the lead to 2-1 but entered the seventh inning with a 2-1 lead.
The leadoff batter walked to get on base. In the next at-bat, the Mounties got a double to score the leadoff runner and tied the game. After a grounder to third base, designated player Lauren Burchak hit a sac fly deep to center field to score the runner and give EOU their first lead of the Series.
Carroll went down in order in the seventh, and the Mounties tied the series at 1-1.
"Two runs should have been enough to win that game. We can't let the bottom half of the lineup beat us," Jackson said. "I thought we controlled their big hitters all day. They really didn't hurt us. Anytime you can hold a team to one run through six innings, and give your team a chance, you expect to win that game. We need to be better offensively and get into a situation where we don't have to be perfect defensively."
The two teams face off again Saturday in another doubleheader, the first game of the day will be a conference game, the second non-conference. The Saints look forward to the opportunity to win the series tomorrow.
"We've just got to be a little bit better tomorrow," Jackson said. "We are 17 games into this thing, and we're going to learn from this one. It is a character builder, and down the stretch, that game is going to come back, and we'll be on the right side the next one."
First pitch is scheduled at 11 a.m. tomorrow. Fans can follow live via the Carroll Athletics social media channels.