TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Carthage College men's baseball team opened their 2017 season on Sunday as the Red Men split a doubleheader with the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
 
The seven-inning splits start the season at 1-1 for Carthage, while Rose-Hulman moves to 2-7.
 
Game 1: Carthage 2, Rose-Hulman 1
Chris DeRue took the mound to open the season and look threw four innings of scoreless baseball.  DeRue struck out two batters and allowed just three hits before being lifted for Kevin Tibor. 
 
Carthage got on the scoreboard first in the third inning as Reed Hero drove in John Burkiewicz for the first run of the game. 
 
Rose-Hulman eventually tied it in the fifth with an RBI triple off Tibor.
 
However, Tibor would get out of the inning without allowing any more damage and setting the Red Men up for late inning and to give Tibor his first career win.
 
With two outs in the top of the seventh, Hero reached second on an error to give the Red Men hope.  Following a wild pitch that moved Hero to third and a walk to Matt Rave, Zach Wade delivered the go-ahead and eventual winning RBI single to put the Red Men up, 2-1.
 
Game 2: Rose-Hulman 7, Carthage 1
Game two saw the Engineers' bats come alive early against Tim Sulik as Rose-Hulman hung a three-run first inning against the Carthage starter. 
 
In the third, the Red Men would attempt to make a comeback with a leadoff homerun by designated hitter Ryan Rodgers off Ian Grant.  For Rodgers, the homerun is the second of his career.
 
Unfortunately it would be as close as the Red Men would get as Rose-Hulman tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the fourth to extend their lead to 5-1, and then added individual runs in the fifth and sixth to seal the 7-1 Red Men defeat.
 
Next up for the Red Men, Carthage will head to warmer weather for their annual spring break trip to Tucson, Arizona.  The Red Men's spring break will begin on Friday, March 17^th with a doubleheader against Mayville State University.