WAUKESHA, Wis. - Despite pounding out 14 hits, the Carroll University baseball team lost to Lakeland University 12-7 in a cloudy, cool nonconference game at Frame Park on Friday afternoon.
It was the first home-field loss of the season for Carroll, which dropped to 7-11 overall.
The Pioneers led 5-3 after five complete innings but Lakeland responded with four runs in the top of the sixth to pull away.
Lakeland, 8-4 overall, added three runs in the eighth and two runs in the ninth.
Carroll scored five runs on four hits and took advantage of an error in the bottom of the fifth to erase a three-run deficit.
The Pioneers demonstrated their composure with all five runs coming with two outs.
Justin Baker ignited the rally with a run-scoring single to left-center field, Benton Holly followed with a two-run triple to right field and later scored as the result of a throwing error with Mitchell Massino adding the final run on a wild pitch.
Baker delivered an RBI sacrifice fly out to center field as Carroll trimmed the deficit to 7-6 in the sixth. The Pioneers' final run came in the ninth as the result of an RBI groundout by Thomas Ward.
Brad Vosters went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases and a run scored for Carroll, which finished with three extra-base hits (two doubles and one triple) but stranded 12 baserunners. Casey Mir and Tyler Love each followed with two hits.
Carroll utilized seven pitchers in the showdown including starter Nick Evert, Josh Streu, Zach Tuss, Ben Johnson, Michael Costanzo, Collin Molisee and Griffin Klein.
Evert, a 6-foot-4 junior right-hander from Franklin, Wis., took the loss yielding three earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks through 5 1/3 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)