Softball downs No. 20 Carthage, defeats Carroll on final day in Florida

CLERMONT, Fla. – For the second consecutive day the Concordia University Wisconsin defeated a ranked opponent as it knocked off No. 20 Carthage College, 5-4 in extra innings, Wednesday to conclude its spring trip. The Falcons also defeated Carroll University 4-2.

In the win over nationally ranked Carthage the Falcons rallied from a 4-0 deficit after three innings of play. Junior Stephanie Kramer (Fond du Lac, Wis.) delivered a perfect suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the eighth, plating senior Holly Zinnecker (Roscoe, Ill.) to give CUW the upset victory. Junior Mariah Giesseman (Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) sacrificed Zinnecker to third base to set up the game-winning squeeze.

The Falcons faced a pressure moment in the top of the eighth inning versus the Lady Reds as they loaded the base with no outs. Freshman pitcher Melissa Perkins (Park Forest, Ill.) and the CUW defense rose up to the challenge, escaping the jam with no runs allowed.

The win over Carthage gave the Falcons a win over a ranked opponent for the second straight day, both coming in walk off fashion. CUW (6-8) defeated now No. 12 St. Thomas 5-4 yesterday.

In their opener on Wednesday the Falcons downed Carroll 4-2, giving them wins in both games on the same day for the first time on their Florida trip. CUW split games in each of their first four days in the Sunshine State.

Junior pitcher Jamie Schuh (Freedom, Wis.) was dominant in the circle against Carroll as she went the distance, striking out five batters compared to just two walks.

The Falcons also delivered a balanced offensive attack in the win over the Pioneers, with everyone in their starting lineup delivering one hit, including Kramer who tallied two.

CUW will return home and resume their schedule Monday against Marantha Baptist Bible College. The doubleheader against the Crusaders will mark the start of Northern Athletics Conference play for the Falcons as 24 of their remaining 26 games will in the conference.