Box Score
The Carthage College baseball team (28-14) advanced to the championship round of the CCIW Baseball Tournament on Saturday, May 15 with an 8-6 win, in 10 innings, over Illinois Wesleyan University (20-20) at North Central College's Zimmerman Stadium/Alumni Field in Naperville, Ill. Carthage will take on Illinois Wesleyan (21-20) on Sunday, May 16 at 10 a.m. The Titans eliminated North Park University (28-15), 9-7, in Saturday's third-and-final game.
North Park eliminated North Central (Ill., 31-9), 11-10, in Saturday's first game. Third-seeded Carthage won its first-round game on Friday, May 14, 11-2, over second-seeded North Park University (27-14). 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.
In the Carthage-Illinois Wesleyan game, the Titans took a 3-0 lead in the second inning off starting pitcher Eric Rohe. The Red Men got a run back in the third on an RBI-single by Will Hodges. After Illinois Wesleyan went up, 4-2, in the fourth, Carthage scored a run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Zach Kozlowski. The Titans upped their lead to 6-2 in the seventh. Carthage scored three times in the eighth to pull to within a run, 6-5. Bill Herrin and Joey Aiello hit RBI-singles in the eighth, and Hodges added a fielder's choice-RBI.
The Red Men tied the game in the ninth on an RBI-single by Trevor Whately. In the 10th inning, Joey Aiello led off with a single. One out later, Will Hodges singled him to second. Josh Albers singled in Aiello, and Drew Roberts singled home Hodges. In the Illinois Wesleyan 10th, Brett Moore reached base on an error by third baseman Josh Albers, Carthage's sixth error in the game. The next batter, Mike Morrissey, hit into a shortstop to first double play to end the game.
Carthage pitcher Eric Rohe went the first six and one-third innings and gave up six runs, three earned, on nine hits and a walk. Bill Montemayor followed, and Trace Ruffie (1-0) pitched scoreless ball in the ninth and 10th frames to collect the win. Joe Froelich (0-4), in relief of Alex Tosi, took the loss. Will Hodges went three-for-six with two RBI and Trevor Whately three-for-six with an RBI.
