Carthage-North Park Box Score
CCIW Baseball Tournament Web Site
The Carthage College baseball team (27-14), seeded third, won its first-round game in the CCIW Baseball Tournament on Friday, May 14, 11-2, over second-seeded North Park University (27-14) at North Central College's Zimmerman Stadium/Alumni Field in Naperville, Ill.
Top-seeded North Central (Ill., 31-8) lost to fourth-seeded Illinois Wesleyan University (20-19), 16-5, in the other first-round game on Friday. The tournament continues on Saturday, May 15 with North Park (27-14) playing North Central (Ill., 31-8) in a 9:30 a.m. elimination game and Carthage playing Illinois Wesleyan (20-19) in a 12:30 p.m. winner's bracket game. The winner of Saturday's first game takes on the loser of the Carthage-Illinois Wesleyan contest at 3:30 p.m.
Carthage loaded the bases in the first inning off North Park pitcher Mike Giovenco. Will Hodges walked to force in the first run. Josh Albers followed with a two-run double, and Zach Kozlowski drove in Hodges with an infield grounder for a 4-0 lead. The Red Men scored single runs in both the third and fourth frames to take a 6-0 lead. Hodges drove in the third-inning run with a single, and Billy Herrin scored on a wild pitch in the fourth. The Vikings scored twice in the fourth to cut the lead to 6-2. Carthage scored a single in the sixth and four in the seventh to take an eight-run lead, 11-2. Mike Petti drove in the run in the sixth with a fielder's choice. Herrin hit a three-run double in the seventh and scored on a double by Petti.
Mario Perez (4-3) was the winning pitcher. Perez went the first five innings and allowed just two runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out five batters. Danny Dahm went the final four innings and stifled the Vikings on no hits to collect his first save. Mike Giovenco (6-5) took the loss. Giovenco surrendered all 11 runs, only six earned, on 10 hits and seven walks, while striking out nine batters. Carthage's Josh Albers went four-for-four with two RBI, while Mike Petti went two-for-five with two RBI.
