KENOSHA, Wis. – The Carthage College Red Men opened a three-game weekend College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin series on Saturday with a pair of dominant seven-inning wins over Millikin University, defeating the Big Blue 13-3 and 10-0 at Augie Schmidt Field.
 
The wins move the Red Men to two-games over .500 on the season at 11-9 and to 4-3 in the conference, while Millikin falls to 13-7 and to 2-5 in the CCIW.
 
"Tim Sulik and Chris DeRue had been unlucky early this season," said head coach Augie Schmidt on his winning pitchers after Saturday's sweep.  "They have both pitched really well but weren't getting any run support.  Today they did.  They have been throwing the ball really well, Sulik especially.  That was as good of a pitching performance as he has had.  And Millikin can hit.  They came in hitting .300 as a team so being able to take a couple against a team that came in at 13-5, we'll take it."
 
GM1: Carthage 13, Millikin 3
After getting just nine runs of support in his previous four appearances, Chris DeRue got more than enough run support on Saturday to earn his first win of the season.
 
After an early 2-0 lead was erased in the second inning, Carthage exploded for a five run fifth with a bases loaded two-run single by Jared Knoespel, an RBI double by Matt Rave and a two-run RBI double by Reed Hero.
 
After a solo home run by Millikin, that Carthage bats went back to work. 
 
In the fifth Reed Hero added two more RBI's on a single to center and in the sixth a Drew Korosic sac fly and Knoespel two run home run put the Red Men up 12-3.
 
Carthage ended it in the seventh with a walk-off RBI single, scoring Vince Schwartz to give the Red Men the ten-run advantage.
 
Carthage finished game one with 16 hits as a team with starters six starters having multi-hit games, including Knoespel with a game-high three as he went 3-4.  Knoespel and Hero each drove in four runs to lead the Red Men.
 
DeRue earned the seven inning complete game win allowing just two earned runs on seven hits, while striking out ten and walking just one.
 
GM2: Carthage 10, Millikin 0
Tim Sulik followed up DeRue's great outing with a gem of his own, as the senior right hander earned a complete game shutout victory over the Big Blue in game two.  Sulik held Millikin to just five hits over seven innings as he struck out six and faced just four over the minimum. 
 
The win moves Sulik to 3-2 on the season.
 
Sulik got all he needed in the first as Ryan Rodgers and Jordan Wiegold drove in a pair of unearned runs to put Carthage up 2-0 early.
 
As Sulik was shutting down the Big Blue, the bats continued to thrive with a pair of solo home runs by Hero and Knoespel in the third.  A.J. Kaprelian added and RBI single in the inning to push the Red Men out to a 5-0 lead. 
 
In the sixth the Red Men added three more runs on RBI doubles by Zach Wade and Kaprelian and an RBI single by Drew Korosic.
 
Carthage ended it in the seventh as Zach Wade singled to score Matt Rave and a bases loaded walk to Ryan Kramer brought in the game-ending run, as John Burkiewicz scored.
 
Carthage will go for the sweep on Sunday at noon as the Red Men and Big Blue faceoff in game three of the weekend series at Augie Schmidt Field.