PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Carroll University baseball team lost to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville 9-2 in the opening round of the eight-team Studer's Blue Wahoos Challenge at Community Maritime Park's Admiral Fetterman Field on Wednesday.
It was the first contest of a challenging six-game Spring Break road trip for Carroll, which dropped to 4-6 overall.
The Studer's Blue Wahoos Challenge (March 15-March 23) will feature 25 games between eight different collegiate programs with NCAA Division III No. 14-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the alma mater of Pensacola Blue Wahoos minor league baseball owner Quint Studer, serving as the primary host of the event. 
The annual collegiate showcase will feature Carroll, UW-Whitewater, UW-Platteville, University of West Florida, Rhodes College (Tennessee), Grinnell College (Iowa), Birmingham Southern College (Alabama), and Centre College (Kentucky).
UW-Platteville, which improved to 2-1 overall, collected a single run in the top of the second inning, scored six unanswered runs on seven hits in the fourth and added two runs in the fifth.
Carroll trimmed the deficit to 9-1 in the bottom of the fifth on a one-out run-scoring ground out by Justin Baker.
Josh Kolb delivered a one-out RBI sacrifice fly out to center field in the sixth for the Pioneers, who finished with five hits and stranded eight baserunners.
Casey Mir went 2-for-4 with a double for Carroll. Brad Vosters followed with two hits and drove in a run.
Drew McDermid took the loss, allowing six earned runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and two walks through five innings.
McDermid, a senior right-hander from Pulaski, Wis., threw 99 pitches in facing 28 batters in the outing.
UW-Platteville finished with 11 hits in the showdown.
The Pioneers are scheduled to face UW-Platteville on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. (EST)
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)