HELENA — The Carroll College softball team is headed back to the Cascade Conference championship tournament after beating Providence 2-1 in Nelson Stadium on Thursday.
Carroll senior outfielder Liz Ybarra recorded the game-sealing putout with a diving catch in shallow left field.
“Yeah, I mean it was all just kind of picture-perfect even though the score was pretty close,” said Ybarra. “It’s heartwarming to be the last out, to secure our playoffs, and to keep our season rolling just a little longer.”
Three years ago, Carroll head coach Shawna Juarez inherited a program that hadn’t made the postseason since 2019.
“I think it’s more like the strength of the people,” Juarez said of Carroll’s success under her leadership. “The people that I have around me, the coaches. We’re very supportive, supported — just people I have. You can’t do this without great people around you. And I have great people all over.”
And under Juarez’s direction last season, Carroll won its first Cascade tournament game in program history. So this year the Saints will get the chance to one-up themselves.
“From the beginning of the year it’s always been, ‘Our goal is conference,’” said pitcher Kennedy Venner. “And we are just trying to get to our best by conference. And I think right now, we’re at a great place. We’ll keep our heads down and keep working and try to get a couple wins at conference.”
Carroll is still awaiting other games’ results from around the conference to determine its first-round matchup and where the tournament will be held.
