TUCSON, Ariz. – The Carthage College Red Men started their 2018 season with an opening day split with Gustavus Adolphus College to open their Spring Break at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.
 
The split starts the Red Men at 1-1 on the year and the Gusties move to 2-2.
 
Game 1: Carthage 12, Gustavus Adolphus 11
The Red Men edged out Gustavus in an offensive battle to open the season, as Carthage held on despite six runs in the seventh by the Gusties for their first of the season. 
 
Carthage opened the scoring in the bottom of the third as Ben Levicki scored Ryan Dalton and Colton Klein drove in Levicki and Vince Schwartz.  Levicki finished his Carthage debut going 3-3 with a pair of RBIs and runs scored.  Klein also had a strong debut, tallying a pair of hits, two RBIs and scoring a run.
 
The lead would be short-lived however, as GAC got to Carthage's Kevin Tibor in the fifth for four runs to take their first lead, 4-3.
 
Carthage answered quickly with eight runs in the bottom of the fifth, to regain control, 11-4.  In the inning, 13 Red Men stepped to the plate and Carthage recorded eight hits and took advantage of three Gustie errors.  For Carthage, RBI's were delivered in the inning by Myles Farley, Nick Pierce, Cody Phelps and Ben Levicki to retake the lead.
 
After Gustavus scored a run in the top of the sixth, Ryan Kramer singled home what proved to be a clutch insurance run, as he scored Myles Farley to give the Red Men a 12-5 lead. 
 
Three outs away from the win and up seven, the Red Men pulled their ace and saw the Gusties chip away at the lead.  GAC sent 13 batters to the plate and scored six times to cut the Red Men lead to one, at 12-11, before Joe Sambucci retired the final two batters to secure the win.
 
Tibor picked up the win, going six innings and allowing five runs on five hits, while striking out three.
 
Game 2: Gustavus Adolphus 6, Carthage 3
The Red Men bats did not have the same pop that they did in game one, as Carthage was held to just seven hits, while striking out ten times in the second game of the doubleheader. 
 
However, Nate Odahl was able to keep the Red Men within striking distance, as the Gonzaga transfer allowed just three earned runs over six inning and struck out seven in a no decision. 
 
After falling behind 3-0 through four innings, the Red Men found their bats and scored three in the fifth to tie the game, 3-3.  Vince Schwartz started the inning and was followed by Johnny Belskis reaching on an error.  After a Jake Marczuk sacrifice to move the runners up Ricky Bergstrom singles to score Schwartz, the first run of the game for the Red Men.  Clayton brought in Belskis and Myles Farley singles home Bergstrom to tie the game.
 
It would remain tied until the bottom of the seventh when the Gusties ended it with a walk-off three-run homerun in the bottom for a final score of 6-3.
 
Mike Stachura took the loss, allowing all three runs in the seventh.
 
The Red Men will return to action on Sunday, as they take on Northern State University at the Kino Sports Complex at 9:00 a.m.