HELENA, Mt. — Coming off their fifth straight shutout loss, the Bushnell Beacons would nearly come away victorious during game two but, Carroll College had other plans. The Saints would come back in the bottom seventh, after another Kenna Thomas run; Ultimately winning 3-2, and 2-0 in game one of their final conference double-header on the season.
These Saints (17-26, 11-17) will bring some extra motivation into the series today as they are looking to claim the sixth-and-final spot in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament, after squeezing out a pair of pitching-duel victories.
Carroll 2, Bushnell 0
Bushnell struck out 12 times against Saints starter Abby Hanley in this game-one loss. Hanley retired 15 of the last 16 batters she faced and pitched all seven innings.
Carroll scored both of their runs in the bottom of the first inning, finishing with a grand total of five hits in the series opener, with Kaitlynn Ayers (2-3, 1 RBI) recording two of them.
Carroll 3, Bushnell 2
The Saints battled back, taking game two in walk-off fashion as the winning run came across in the bottom of the seventh inning. It was another solid pitching battle that saw freshman starter, Kennedy Venner on the mound. The former Montana Gatorade Player of the Year did not disappoint, finishing with 11 strikeouts and 0 earned runs.
Bushnell's starter, Liz Hillier (4-15) would give up just one earned run in her complete game effort, scattering seven hits but only one that went for extra bases.
The Beacons, struck out 11 more times and had four total hits in game two.
