WAUKESHA, Wis. - Young, promising teams often show glimpses of their potential when faced with a difficult challenge.
The Carroll University baseball team emphasized that point as it lost to Wheaton College 8-4 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Frame Park on Friday night.
It was the official home opener for the Pioneers, who lost their second straight to drop to 1-4 in the conference standings and 5-14 overall.
Wheaton, which snapped a string of back-to-back league losses, improved to 3-4 in conference and 13-10 overall.
The Thunder scored seven unanswered runs over the course of the first four innings, including three home runs, to build momentum.
Sophomore second baseman/left fielder Brett Albaugh hit a three-run homer in the top of the first, senior shortstop John McKenna followed with a solo shot in the second and senior first baseman Peter Newman had a two-run blast in the fourth.
It proved to be the difference as Carroll struggled to overcome its slow start.
Freshman right fielder/third baseman Nolan Heck (Waukesha, Wis.) went 3-for-5 with two doubles and drove in a run for the Pioneers, who attempted to chip away at the large deficit during the final three innings but couldn't complete a comeback.
Junior designated hitter A.J. Johnson (Waunakee, Wis.) also collected three hits for Carroll, which had 10 hits in the contest. Junior third baseman Hunter Frey (Hudson, Wis.) had two hits for the Pioneers, who stranded 12 baserunners - including seven in scoring position.
Carroll responded with its first run in the bottom of the seventh as Frey scored as the result of a throwing error.
Sophomore catcher Mike Rufer (Chicago, Ill.) had an RBI groundout and sophomore center fielder Jacob Horner (Woodbridge, Va.) delivered a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the two-run eighth for the Pioneers. Heck drove in the team's final run on a two-out, RBI double in the ninth.
Carroll head coach Stein Rear was quick to point out that his team must continue to work on starting each game fast and learn how to maintain the momentum. 
"I would like to see us get out of the gates a little better and not have to play from behind," said Rear, whose squad recently earned its first CCIW victory by defeating No. 15-ranked Augustana College 9-7. "After giving up three home runs early on, it was hard to come back from it so we need to focus on that area of our game. 
"Even though we dug ourselves a bit of a hole, it was nice to see the guys compete hard from beginning to end and make strides toward improving. We had a great group of freshmen who came in out of the bullpen, gained a lot of good experience and gave us an opportunity to get back in it during the final three innings.
"We always have a great late-game approach so now we just need to learn how to carry the momentum of those strong finishes over into the next game.  
"Win or lose, it was great to get back in the groove of playing a home game at Frame Park. We hope to make the most of the opportunity in the games to come."
Freshman right-hander Alex Hanvey was the winning pitcher, scattering six hits with three strikeouts and two walks through five complete innings for Wheaton, which pounded out 12 hits but stranded 15 baserunners.
Carroll junior left-hander Carter Howard (Black Earth, Wis.) took the loss, yielding seven earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and five walks through four complete innings. 
The Pioneers showcased the strength of their bullpen over the course of the final five innings, with junior left-hander Austin Edge (Howards Grove, Wis.), freshman right-hander Seth Smith (Beloit, Wis.), freshman right-hander Devin Zeimentz (La Crosse, Wis.) and freshman right-hander Brenden Charette (Brighton, Mich.) combining to allow only one earned run on three hits.