Box Score (Lake Forest, Ill.) - The Carroll University softball team gave Monmouth College all they handle before falling to the Fighting Scots, 2-1 in the first game of the Midwest Conference Tournament.
 
The Pioneers will return to action at 2 p.m. on the campus of Lake Forest College. They await the loser of the noon game between the Foresters and Illinois College.
 
The tightly contested game between Carroll and Monmouth was dominated by the pitchers, as the two teams combined for just nine hits. Carroll's Hannah Miller went the distance and surrendered just four hits while Monmouth's Liz Hippen gave up just five hits in her complete game.
 
The Fighting Scots did all of their damage in the third inning on a two-run double from Hippen.
 
Kelly Strasser made it 2-1 with a fourth inning home run but the Pioneers were unable to muster any other viable scoring threat. Carroll put a runner on in the bottom of the seventh inning but a line out to the short stop ended the game.