WAUKESHA, Wis. - Coming off its first CCIW Tournament victory since rejoining the league in 2017, the fourth-seeded Carroll University baseball team is poised and ready to take the field for its much anticipated second-round matchup with top-seeded and No. 9-ranked North Central College.
Carroll, 21-20 overall, is scheduled to face the three-time defending conference champion Cardinals at Wheaton College's Lee Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream, Ill. today at 11 a.m.
The Pioneers are coming off a statement-making opening-round 6-2 victory over fifth-seeded North Park University on Wednesday.
Dylan Callahan went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two singles and three runs scored to lead an 11-hit offensive attack, establishing a program record for career doubles (34) in the process.
Curtis Sheahan pitched a five-hitter with eight strikeouts and two walks through 7 1/3 innings to earn his fifth victory of the season.
North Central, 34-7 overall, outlasted eighth-seeded Wheaton 8-7 in its opening-round game Wednesday. Luke Lehnen went 3-for-5 with a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored to fuel an 11-hit attack for the Cardinals, who scored what proved to be the winning run on a bases-loaded walk in the eighth. Luke Lamm was the winning pitcher, allowing three runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.
Carroll split the four-game regular-season series with North Central 2-2, highlighted by a 5-4 road victory in the opening game of a CCIW doubleheader on April 2 (its first over the Cardinals since 2017) and a 7-3 home-field victory at Frame Park in the series finale April 3.
In the last matchup with the Cardinals,
Danny Glampe went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and a run scored to lead Carroll, which amassed 11 hits in the contest. Callahan,
TJ Pfaffle and
Benton Holly each followed with two hits for the Pioneers, who had three extra-base hits. Sheahan was the winning pitcher, allowing three runs on eight hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk through eight complete innings.
As a team, Carroll has a .236 batting average (30-for-127) with six doubles, two home runs and a triple versus North Central pitching this season.
Callahan has a .312 batting average (5-for-16) with three RBIs in four games for the Pioneers.
TJ Pfaffle has driven in four runs with
Danny Glampe and
Nick Angus each adding three RBIs for the Pioneers.
Scotty Starovich earned the other pitching victory over the Cardinals (in the doubleheader opener on April 2), yielding two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk through six complete innings.
Stay up to date on Carroll baseball by going online to www.gopios.com, or by following the Pioneers on Facebook (Carroll University Athletics), Twitter (@pio_athletics), and Instagram (@pio_athletics)
