WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Carroll University baseball team swept Illinois Institute of Technology in a non-conference doubleheader at Frame Park on Saturday, winning the opener 6-4 and second game 19-5 in seven innings.
The Pioneers, who have won three of their last four and improved to 3-3 overall, combined for a statement-making 25 runs and 23 hits on the day.
GAME 1
Anthony Tado went 3-for-3 and drove in what proved to be the winning runs on a clutch, two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth to lead Carroll to a hard-fought, scrappy come-from-behind victory in the opener.
Leo Matuga followed with two hits and drove in a run to help fuel a seven-hit offensive attack for the Pioneers.
Illinois Tech, which amassed nine hits, scored the first run of the game on a solo home run in the top of the first inning. Carroll tied the game 1-1 in the first on a solo home run by
Joey Appino.
The Scarlet Hawks answered with three runs in the sixth, powered on a second solo homer and a two-run single to right field to extend the lead to 4-1.
Carroll showcased its resilience as Matuga delivered a run-scoring single in the bottom of the sixth.
Appino scored as the result of an error and
Lane Scott followed with a game-tying sacrifice fly out to center field in the seventh, setting the stage for Tado's eighth-inning heroics.
Carroll utilized five pitchers, including starter
Brett Buzzelli who allowed one earned run on four hits with six strikeouts and one walk through five complete innings.
Brody Meyer,
Joey Rivera,
Noah Hoffman and
Connor Nolen also took the mound for the Pioneers, combining to yield three runs on five hits the rest of the way.
Hoffman worked scoreless top of the eighth to earn a victory and Nolen earned a save by pitching an unblemished ninth.
With a runner at first and potential tying run at the plate with two outs in the ninth, Nolen forced a game-ending foul out to left field.
GAME 2
Mason Hege went 4-for-4 with seven RBI, highlighted by a double, a triple and home run to power a 16-hit attack for Carroll in the second game of the twin bill.
Nathan Crick collected three hits and five RBI including a homer for the Pioneers, who scored six runs in the bottom of the first to erase an early two-run deficit and followed with 10 runs on seven hits in the decisive second.
Carroll generated eight extra-base hits in the rout, including two homers, five doubles and one triple.
Carroll's first runs came on a two-run double by Hege and a grand slam from Crick.
The Pioneers' explosive 10-run second inning included a three-run homer and two-run triple by Hege (as Carroll batted around) and a two-run double by
Bennet Becker.
Eddie Synek had a run-scoring sacrifice fly out,
Nick Herzog scored as the result of a doublesteal and
Dalen Lamberson added an RBI single to round out the high-powered scoring spree.
Lamberson, who finished 4-for-4 with five RBI, had a run-scoring double and Crick added a run-scoring single to cap a two-run fifth for the Pioneers. Carroll's final run came as
Bennet Becker scored on a balk in the sixth.
Braden Lewis was the starting pitcher and earned a victory, yielding five earned runs on eight hits with one strikeout and no walks through three complete innings.
Jorge Rodriguez worked the final four scoreless innings, allowing one hit with three strikeouts and no walks.
Carroll is back in action at noon and 2:30 p.m. today versus Illinois Tech to complete the four-game home-field non-conference series.
