APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University softball team split a Midwest Conference doubleheader with Carroll College on Saturday at Whiting Field. The Vikings won the opener 4-2 and then dropped the nightcap 8-6 after rallying from a five-run deficit.
Megan Butterbrodt paced the Lawrence offense by going 3-for-5 with two homers, three runs scored, and six runs batted in.
The Vikings jumped to a 3-0 lead in the opening inning of the first game on Butterbrodt's three-run homer.
Carroll battled back with single runs in the first and second, but Lawrence starter Catherine Marinac held the Pioneers scoreless the rest of the way. She went the distance, allowed six hits, struck out four, and walked two.
Lawrence (4-8, 1-1 MWC) added an insurance run in the seventh when Butterbrodt doubled to score Carli Gurholt, who had reached on an error.
Carroll (6-6, 1-1) jumped out to a 6-1 lead after four innings in the second game. The Vikings cut into that margin by scoring twice in the bottom of the fifth on Butterbrodt's two-run homer.
The Vikings then tied it with three runs in the sixth. Meredith Foshag got the rally started with a single and later scored on Carrie Van Groll's single. Gurholt followed with a two-run homer to tie the game at 6-6.
The Pioneers then rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh. Jackie Messler led off with a single, and Ashley Coppersmith then reached on an error. Sara Bigus followed with a run-scoring single to put the Pioneers up 7-6. Nicole Reith followed with another single to score Coppersmith.
The Vikings had runners at second and third in the bottom of the seventh, but Gurholt's hard grounder ended the game.
Lorin Kelly went the distance to pick up the win for Carroll. Foshag took the loss in relief of starter Alex Goodson.