WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Carroll University baseball team lost to former Midwest Conference rival Cornell College 12-7 in a cool, windy nonconference game at Frame Park on Sunday afternoon.
It was the second home-field loss of the season for Carroll, which entered the contest riding the momentum of a five-game winning streak (including back-to-back sweeps of Wisconsin Lutheran College and Elmhurst University) but dropped to 9-8 overall.
Thomas Ward went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs to help lead a 10-hit offensive attack for the Pioneers, who finished with five extra-base hits (including two home runs and three doubles) but stranded six baserunners. Casey Mir and Joey Appino each followed with two hits.
The Pioneers scored two runs to claim a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning, sparked on an RBI single to right field and as Trevor Benz scored as the result of a throwing error.
Cornell, which finished with 16 hits and improved to 10-7 overall, scored four runs in the second, two runs in the third and fourth and a single run in the fifth to pull away.
Benz hit a two-run home run over the left-field fence in the fifth and Appino followed with a solo homer in the sixth to trim the deficit to 10-5.
Carroll's final runs came in the ninth on a two-run double to right field by Ward, who leads the team with a .483 batting average in 14 starts this season.
The Pioneers utilized five pitchers including starter Andrew Stekiel, Brody Meyer, Jexel Valentin, Joey Rivera and Erik Jaschinski.
Stekiel took the loss, allowing five earned runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and no walks through 2 2/3 innings.