MOLINE, Ill. - The sixth-seeded Carroll University baseball team lost to fifth-seeded Illinois Wesleyan University 11-3 in the second round of the College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin Tournament at Swanson Stadium on Thursday morning.
Carroll was officially eliminated from the prestigious tournament with the loss and ended the highly productive season 16-23 overall.
The Pioneers scored the first runs of the contest in the top of the first inning on a two-out, two-run single to right field by Nick Angus.
Illinois Wesleyan answered with single runs in the bottom of the first and second to tie the game 2-2.
Carroll, which finished with six hits, reclaimed a one-run lead in the third on a two-out RBI single to left-center field by Benton Holly.
It was short lived as Illinois Wesleyan scored four runs in what proved to be a decisive bottom of the fourth to pull away.
Joey Appino went 2-for-4 with a triple for Carroll, which generated three extra-base hits. Trevor Benz and Nick Herzog each contributed a double.
The Pioneers utilized five pitchers in the contest including starter Scotty Starovich, Andy Buskohl, Erik Jaschinski, Connor Kelly and Connor Nolen.
Starovich, a senior left-hander from Pleasant Prairie, Wis., took the loss by allowing four earned runs on six hits through three complete innings.
It was a frustrating finish to a successful season as Carroll qualified for the CCIW Tournament for the third consecutive year under veteran head coach Stein Rear.