WAUKESHA, Wis. - Carroll baseball continued CCIW play with a home doubleheader against in-state rival Carthage College, falling to the Firebirds by scores of 5-1 and 4-2 (10 innings). In the two games combined, Carroll (12-11, 2-3 CCIW) had 15 hits, with Lane Scott claiming the lone extra base hit for the Pios. Carthage (15-7, 3-2 CCIW) 21 hits on the day with 5 nabbing extra bases.
GAME 1 (5-1 Carthage)
Jimmy Williams and Eddie Synek both had two hits in game one with Williams crossing the plate for the only Pioneer run of the game. Dalen Lamberson, Brody Ferko, Alex Vogt, and Gabe Lee all reached base on a hit to round out the Pioneer hitting attack.
After a quiet first inning, Carroll was the first team to cross the plate in the second inning, with Jimmy Williams scoring on a wild pitch. That would be the first and only Carroll lead of game one as Carthage responded with two runs in the ensuing half inning off a two-run home run over the right field wall. Carthage added three insurance runs in the eighth inning as Carroll stranded seven runners throughout the first contest.
Carroll utilized five arms in the first game, including starter Dylan Eckrote who threw five complete innings and seceded his second loss of the season, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and striking out one batter. Joey Rivera, Ben Olsen, Isaac Verbruggen, and Conor Dunlavy each pitching one full inning in relief, combining to allow four hits and two earned runs with Dunlavy striking out two batters in the ninth.
GAME 2 (4-2 Carthage, 10 innings)
Game two was a very fast-paced game, with both teams' starting pitchers dealing efficient outings. Scott made the first noise of the second game, knocking in Joey Appino with an RBI single just over second base in the third inning. Carthage immediately matched with a run in the fourth inning, adding an insurance run in the fifth for their first lead of the game at 2-1.
After several quiet trips to the plate for the Pioneers, Carroll got back on the board in the seventh inning. With bases loaded, Lamberson had a sacrifice groundout to second base, which scored Gabe Lee. That run tied the game at two runs apiece, a score that would hold for the next two innings and send the evening into extra innings.
In the tenth with two runners on and two outs, Carthage scored two off an RBI double to the right field corner, giving Carthage the momentum shifting runs. Carroll went three-up-three-down in the bottom of the tenth, as the marathon afternoon concluded with a crushing defeat for the Pioneers.
Carroll used three arms in the game two defeat, with Tyler Frederick earning the start and striking out four batters in 7.1 innings. Connor Nolen pitched 2.1 innings in relief, striking out three batters and claiming the defeat with the runs scored in the extra inning. Chayce Schultz closed the game out, striking out the lone batter he faced.
Carroll makes the quick turnaround with the end cap of the weekend conference series, traveling to Kenosha for a 1 p.m. first pitch against the FIrebirds.
