WAUKESHA, Wis. - Sophomore center fielder Nick Angus went 2-for-4, highlighted by a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, as the Carroll University baseball team lost to No. 6-ranked and five-time defending conference champion North Central College 11-7 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin opener at Frame Park on Tuesday afternoon.
It was the first home-field loss of the season for Carroll, which entered the contest riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak but dropped to 4-2 overall.
North Central, which entered the contest ranked sixth in the nation in the latest D3baseball.com Top 25 Poll, improved to 5-1 overall.
Senior right fielder Alec Honickel and senior first baseman Mitchell Massino followed with two hits each and scored a run for Carroll, which finished with 10 hits (including two doubles) but stranded 10 baserunners. Senior designated hitter Dylan Callahan had two RBIs for the Pioneers.
North Central scored three unanswered runs in the top of the second inning and followed with six runs in the third.
Sophomore left fielder Luke Blaha delivered a two-out RBI single as Carroll trimmed the deficit to 9-1 in the bottom of the sixth.
North Central extended its lead with a single run in the seventh.
Carroll showcased its mental toughness as it responded with a gritty, character-building six-run rally in the seventh to cut the lead to 10-7.
Callahan ignited the key spree with a two-run double and later scored on an error. Angus followed with his first collegiate homer to round out the scoring for the Pioneers.
Junior left-hander Alan Spurley took the loss, yielding seven runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and two walks through the opening 2 1/3 innings.
Senior catcher Rob Marinec went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs for North Central, which generated 15 hits in the league opener. 
Junior right-hander Luke Lamm earned the victory, allowing no runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and three walks through five complete innings.
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