HELENA, Mont. – The University of Providence softball team split their doubleheader against their rival Carroll College on Tuesday. The Argos (5-32, 3-24) fell to the Fighting Saints (12-29, 9-18) 1-0 in the first game before winning 21-9 in the final game of the series.

The first game of the day was a defensive battle, with only four hits total between the two teams. The two sides remained scoreless until the bottom of the 7^th inning, when the Saints' Ellie Koerber crossed home plate off an error from the Argos.   

Carter Thornton started on the mound for the team, striking out two batters and allowing zero earned runs. Taylor Mathews recorded the lone hit for the squad, while Karlie David was walked once.

Frustrated over the loss, the team came to play in the final game of the season between the two Montana schools. The Argos recorded eight runs in the first inning, including a leadoff solo shot from Taylor Mathews and later a three-run homer over center field from McKenna Montgomery.

The Saints responded with five runs of their own, but the Argos continued their hot streak, scoring eight runs yet again in the top of the second inning to take a 16-5 lead. After blanking the Saints in the bottom of the second, the Argos added five runs to make the score 21-5 entering the bottom of the third. The team allowed four more runs throughout the remaining three innings, ending the game in five innings with a score of 21-9.

"They definitely responded well," head coach Joey Egan said. "Taylor came out and started us out with a home run. Then McKenna hit one a few batters later. We almost went through the entire lineup with no outs that inning. They didn't give up. There have been games where we thought we had a safe enough lead and we mellow out but they didn't. They just kept fighting and putting runs up on the board."

Mathews had a solid game for the squad, leading the team in RBIs and hits, with five and four respectively. Jaelena Trujillo and Azia Umphrey both finished with three hits, while Montgomery and McKenzie Staats added two. Montgomery, Staats and Trujillo all finished with four RBIs while Ryen Palmer finished with two. Montgomery also got the win for the Argos, striking out a total of four batters on the day.

The Argos will return home for the final series of the season on Thursday, April 28 against #7 College of Idaho. The first game of the series will begin at 11:00 a.m. in Great Falls.

"Though we wish our winning streak was at four right now instead of back to one, it does give us momentum," Egan said. "All of our girls ended on high notes with their hitting. They weren't just giving us runs; we were hitting the ball solid. It's a good momentum boost for sure."