WAUKESHA, Wis. - Thomas Ward, a junior first baseman from Waukesha, Wis., drove in what proved to be the winning run on a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Carroll University baseball team defeated Wheaton College 11-10 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Frame Park on Saturday afternoon.
The dramatic home-field performance secured a regular-season series victory for Carroll, which improved to 5-1 in the highly contested league standings and 12-9 overall.
The Pioneers have won eight of their last 10 games.
Casey Mir went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored to help power a 13-hit offensive attack for Carroll, which generated six extra-base hits (including five doubles).
Benton Holly and Eddie Synek each followed with two hits and Trevor Benz drove in two runs for the Pioneers.
Wheaton started strong, scoring six runs on five hits in the top of the first inning.
Carroll answered with three runs in the bottom of the first inning as Mir scored on a wild pitch, Benz scored on a passed ball and Justin Baker delivered an RBI single to left field.
Wheaton responded with a single run in the second to extend the lead to 7-3.
Carroll trimmed the deficit to 7-6 with three runs in the second as Mir collected an RBI double to left-center field, Nick Herzog scored on a wild pitch and Ward followed with a run-scoring groundout.
Wheaton increased its lead to 9-6 with two runs in the third.
Carroll showcased its resilience by scoring three runs on two hits in its half of the third to tie the game 9-9, sparked on an RBI single to left field by Mir and a two-run double to right field by Benz.
The Pioneers claimed a 10-9 lead in the sixth on a clutch, two-out single to center field by Holly.
Wheaton tied the game with a single run in the seventh, setting the stage for Ward's eighth-inning game winner.
Carroll utilized six pitchers in the contest including starter Andrew Stekiel, Jorge Rodriguez, Erik Jaschinshi, Josh Streu, Connor Kelly and Connor Nolen.
Nolen, a junior right-hander from Poplar Grove, Ill. earned a victory to improve to 2-1 overall, working scoreless eighth and ninth innings.
Nolen efficiently finished with 27 pitches in facing six batters, allowing no hits with five strikeouts and no walks.