January 24, 2012
Contact:
Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740
E-Mail: stevemarovich@tds.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu
Carthage Web Page: http://athletics.carthage.edu/index.aspx
Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388
Carthage Baseball Opens 2012 Season at the Tucson Invitational;
No. 17 Red Men Face NAIA Dakota Wesleyan in March 18 Season Opener
2012 Spring Trip: The Carthage College baseball team (0-0, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) opens its 2012 season with an 11-game spring trip to the Tucson Invitational at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Ariz. Carthage opens the trip with a Saturday, March 17 doubleheader versus Dakota Wesleyan University at 9 a.m. (all times MST). On Sunday, March 18, the Red Men play Wisconsin-Superior at 10 a.m., followed by a Monday, March 19 games versus Luther College at 2 p.m. and Carleton College at 6 p.m. On Tuesday, March 20, Carthage faces Hamline University at 11 a.m. Following an off-day on Wednesday, March 21, the Red Men take on Carleton at 10 a.m. and No. 12 Eastern Connecticut State University at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 22. On Friday, March 23, the Red Men play a Noon twinbill with Nebraska Wesleyan University. The trip concludes on Saturday, March 24 with a 2 p.m. contest against Middlebury College.
2011 NCAA Central Region Championship: The Carthage College baseball team (32-12), ranked 20th in the May 16 “D3baseball.com” poll, lost to Buena Vista University (32-16), 7-6, on Saturday, May 21 in the title game of the NCAA Division III Central Region Championship at Jack Horenberger Field in Bloomington, Ill. Carthage defeated Buena Vista, 12-7, in Saturday’s first game, forcing a final game for the regional title. On the first day of regional action on Wednesday, Buena Vista University ran a “small-ball” clinic, and Carthage committed five infield errors, as the fifth-seeded Beavers (29-15) defeated the second-seeded Red Men, 8-1, in a first-round game. It was not a day to be top-seeded team, as the No. 1 seed, Coe College (32-11 and ranked 26th nationally), lost to sixth-seeded Ripon College (21-18), 3-2, in Wednesday’s first game. Fourth-seeded and No. 40 Illinois Wesleyan (27-16) completed the sweep of the top seeds in Wednesday’s third game by edging third-seeded and No. 24 Thomas More College (28-8), 3-2. On Thursday, Carthage stayed alive by eliminating Coe (32-12), 5-3. Thomas More (29-8) defeated Ripon (21-19), 5-3, in Thursdays second game, with Buena Vista (30-15) winning over Illinois Wesleyan (27-17) by a 7-1 margin. Illinois Wesleyan (28-17) eliminated Ripon (21-20), 7-1, in Friday’s first game. Carthage eliminated Thomas More (29-9), 10-4, in Friday’s second game, and Buena Vista (31-15) eliminated Illinois Wesleyan University (28-18), 7-6, on Friday night.
2011 CCIW Tournament: Carthage won the CCIW Baseball Tournament on Sunday, May 15 with a 9-1 win over North Central College (22-17) at The Corn Crib in Normal, Ill. Sunday’s game was originally supposed to be played on Saturday, May 14 at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Jack Horenberger Field in Bloomington, Ill., but was postponed and moved due to wet grounds. With the win, Carthage receives the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. Carthage was one out away from a loss to Illinois Wesleyan University (26-15) on Friday, May 13 before a little-used freshman infielder turned the game around. Trailing, 4-3, with the tying run on second base and two outs, Mike Pugliese (Fr., Naperville, Ill./Arlington Heights-St. Francis) hit a walk off, two-run home run to send the Red Men into the championship round of the tournament at Illinois Wesleyan’s Jack Horenberger Field in Bloomington, Ill. The Red Men opened play in the tournament on Thursday, May 12 with a 9-4 win over No. 25 North Park University (30-11, 15-6 CCIW). No. 28 Illinois Wesleyan (26-14, 15-6) edged North Central College (20-16, 13-8), 5-4, in the other first-round contest. In Friday’ first game, North Central (21-17) eliminated North Park (30-12), 5-4, North Central (Ill., 22-16) defeated Illinois Wesleyan (26-16), 7-5, in an elimination game on Friday night. Carthage made its 23rd-straight appearance in the CCIW tournament under head coach Augie Schmidt IV. The last Red Men team not to qualify for the event was Schmidt’s 1988 team, his first year at Carthage.
Will Hodges Named CCIW “Co-Player of the Year”: Carthage centerfielder Will Hodges (graduated-senior, Oak Park, Ill./Naperville-North, .422, 17 doubles, 8 home runs, 44 RBI) was named College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin “Co-Player of the Year,” along with Illinois Wesleyan University first baseman Kevin Callahan. Hodges is the Red Men’s seventh conference “player of the year” since 1996. In addition to Hodges, four other Carthage players were named first-team All-CCIW. Those four were rightfielder Mike Petti (graduated-senior, Mundelein, Ill., .418 13 doubles, 4 home runs, 24 RBI, 6 stolen bases), first baseman Joey Aiello (Sr., Libertyville, Ill., .351, 10 doubles, 3 home runs, 36 RBI), shortstop Kyle Pusateri (Sr., Schaumburg, Ill./.323, 3 home runs, 30 RBI) and pitcher Danny Dahm (Sr., Morton Grove, Ill./Skokie-Niles West, 5-0, 3.04 earned run average). Pitcher Eric Rohe (Sr., Mundelein, Ill., 7-2, 2.85 earned run average) earned second-team all-conference honors. Illinois Wesleyan pitcher Jason Pankau was named “pitcher of the year,” and North Park University’s Luke Johnson earned “coach of the year” honors.
Will Hodges Named ABCA All-America: Carthage centerfielder Will Hodges (graduated-senior, Oak Park, Ill./Naperville-North, .422, 17 doubles, 8 home runs, 44 RBI) was named American Baseball Coaches Association second-team All-America. Hodges was named ABCA first-team All-Central Region. Rightfielder Mike Petti (graduated-senior, Mundelein, Ill., .418 13 doubles, 4 home runs, 24 RBI, 6 stolen bases) was named second-team all-region, and pitcher Danny Dahm (Sr., Morton Grove, Ill./Skokie-Niles West, 5-0, 3.04 earned run average) earned third-team all-region honors.
The Polls: Defending-national-champion Marietta College (25 first-place votes) was ranked first in the 2012 pre-season National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association/”D3baseball.com” poll, followed by national-runner-up Chapman University second, Kean University third, Linfield College fourth, the State University of New York-Cortland fifth, Wisconsin-Whitewater sixth, Christopher Newport University seventh, Wisconsin-Stevens Point eighth, Salisbury University ninth, Heidelberg University 10th, Alvernia College 11th, Eastern Connecticut State University 12th, Buena Vista University 13th, the College of St. Scholastica 14th and Western New England College ranked 15th. Carthage College was ranked 17th, CCIW-member Illinois Wesleyan University 33rd, conference-member North Park University 37th, and Augustana College (Ill.) was tied for 48th place in the national poll.
A Lot of Time in Bloomington, Ill.: The 2011 team played 11 of its 44 games, or 25 percent of its schedule, in the Bloomington-Normal area. Including the regular season, the CCIW Baseball Tournament and the NCAA Division III Central Region Championship, Carthage played 10 times at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Jack Horenberger Field in Bloomington, Ill., and once at The Corn Crib in Normal, Ill.
The Coach: A proven winner with Carthage in his blood, Augie Schmidt IV has a 760-304-5 record in 24 seasons as head baseball coach). With a victory over Ohio Wesleyan University on March 6, 2010, Schmidt became only the 17th coach in NCAA Division III history to reach the 700-victory plateau. Schmidt continues the winning tradition of his father, Augie Schmidt III, who won 276 games and five College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championships in 18 years at Carthage. In the second Schmidt era, Carthage has claimed eight outright CCIW divisional titles, one divisional-title tie, nine conference crowns, 16 NCAA regional berths, including nine-straight from 1992-2000, six regional titles, third-place finishes in both the 1993 and 1994 NCAA Division III Baseball Championships and fourth place in both 1995 and 1997. For his efforts, Schmidt has been named American Baseball Coaches Association/Diamond Sports NCAA Division III Central Regional "Coach Of The Year" nine times (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2009), won the ABCA/Louisville Slugger Conference Award seven times from 1993-99, and has been named CCIW "Baseball Coach of the Year" on 10 occasions (1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2009). Cory Everts is the assistant coach, with Jarvis Brown, Scott Roehl and John Lequia serving as part-time assistant coaches.
Carthage in the NCAA Championship: The Red Men made their 18th NCAA regional appearance in 2011. Carthage made its seventh appearance in the national championship in 2009. The Red Men finished third at the national championship in both 1993 and 1994, fourth in 1995, 1997 and 2009, tied for seventh in 2002 and tied for fifth in 2007.
The Conference: Now in its 65th year as of 2010-11, the CCIW has sponsored baseball since the league was first organized in 1947. Since then, Illinois Wesleyan University has won a league-leading 23 championships or co-championships, followed by Carthage with 14 titles, North Central College with 10, Millikin University with eight, Elmhurst College with seven, North Park University with four, Augustana College (Ill.) with three, Lake Forest College two and Wheaton College (Ill.) one title. Carthage won its first baseball championship in 1966 and won a co-championship with Illinois Wesleyan in 1970. The Red Men won outright titles in 1971, 1972, 2006 and 2009, shared the 1973 championship with North Central (Ill.), won conference tournaments in 1992, 1993 and 1995, and won the 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003 titles on a point-system basis. The winner of the double-elimination tournament receives the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. Illinois Wesleyan (5 first-place votes) was picked by the league coaches to win the 2011 title, followed by Carthage (3 first-place votes) second, North Central (Ill.) third, Wheaton (Ill.) fourth, Augustana (Ill.) fifth, North Park sixth, Millikin seventh and Elmhurst eighth.
CCIW Tournament First-Round Notes: In the Red Men’s win over North Park, the Vikings took a 2-0 lead in the first inning off Carthage starting pitcher Nic Jensen (Sr., Appleton, Wis./East). The Vikings loaded the bases with one out on a single and two hit batters, their 103rd and 104th hit batters of the year. Brad Medina hit an RBI-single, and Zach Deutscher followed with a sacrifice fly. North Park might have had a bigger inning, but Andy Athans was thrown out at the plate on a delayed double steal.
The Red Men erupted for five runs in the third to take a 5-2 lead. Billy Herrin, Chris D’Angelo and Will Hodges hit back-to-back-to-back home runs, with Herrin’s three-run job. Carthage added a run in the fifth when Tyler Eickmeyer tripled to right center and scored when second baseman Eric Sousanes threw the relay into the Carthage dugout. Medina hit a two-run homer off Jensen in the sixth to cut the lead to 6-4, and Mario Perez replaced Jensen on the hill. The Red Men took an 8-4 lead in the seventh on an RBI-double by Herrin and a single up the middle by D’Angelo that scored Herrin. The Vikings had the bases loaded with one out in the seventh, but Perez got both Athans and Medina chasing pitches to end the threat. An RBI-double by Herrin in the ninth closed out the scoring at 9-4.
Nic Jensen (4-1), who hadn’t started a CCIW game all year, was a surprise choice the start the game. The senior made relief appearances against Elmhurst on April 2 and North Central on April 9. He was the winning pitcher in a 9-0 non-conference win over Marian University (Wis.) on May 2 and allowed just four hits over eight innings. Jensen allowed four North Park run on four hits and a walk. Mario Perez blanked the Vikings on one hit and two walks over the final three and two-thirds innings to earn his first collegiate save. Bill Herrin (Sr., Galesburg, Ill.) went three-for-five with two doubles, a home run and five RBI. Chris D’Angelo, Will Hodges and Tyler Eickmeyer each had two hits, with Eickmeyer scoring four times.
“I started Nic Jensen,” said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV, “because North Park hadn’t seen him. Nic has been great all year, and I wanted to give North Park a different look. After Nic, everybody else was in relief. I didn’t necessarily plan to have Mario Perez as the first guy out of the bullpen, but I felt like we were going to need two guys. Once we got the lead, I decided to use Mario, and I think he had a bit of payback thing going after he got roughed up by North Park last weekend. He was emotionally into it, and those two guys made me look pretty smart. The back-to-back-to-back home runs were really a lift. We’ve been chasing runs so much lately, and it’s hard to play that way. We needed a lift, which we just haven’t had the past few weeks.”
CCIW Tournament Second-Round Notes: In the win over Illinois Wesleyan, Carthage broke a scoreless tie with a run in the third inning. Mike Pugliese led off with a double. Billy Herrin reach base on a fielder’s choice bunt, with Pugliese advancing to second. Pugliese scored when Zach Kozlowski rolled into a double play. That’s they it stayed until the fifth, as Carthage’s Danny Dahm and Illinois Wesleyan’s Nick Mehn dueled away. Kyle Pusateri led off the fifth with a solo home run to straightway leftfield. Brian Huntsinger followed with a single. The freshman outfielder advanced to third on a throwing error by Titan shortstop Zach Scott and scored on a single to right by Joey Aiello.
Dahm was cruising along with a two-hitter until a hit batter, an infield error and a blown double play opened the doors for a three-run Titan fifth inning. Mark McDermott doubled in two runs and Jonathan Erickson doubled in McDermott. Dahm gave way to Mitch Lochen with two on and one out in the seventh. Lochen got his first batter on a fly ball, but McDermott drilled a single up the middle to give IWU its first lead of the game at 4-3.
In the Carthage ninth, Eric Barber led off by bouncing a single over the third baseman’s head. Tyler Eickmeyer ran for Barber and moved onto second on a sacrifice bunt. Huntsinger followed with a slicing fall ball to right-center that Ryan Hopp made a diving catch on for the second out. Nick Mehn’s first pitch to Pugliese sailed over the leftfield fence for the game-winning two-run homer. Pugliese, who entered the game with just two hits in 20 at bats, went two-for-three with a double and a home run. “I haven’t hit a home run since eighth grade,” said Pugliese after the game.
Will Hodges went two-for-four. Mitch Lochen (So., Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South, 2-1) picked up the win by blanking the Titans on two hits and a walk over the final two and two-thirds innings. Danny Dahm (Sr., Morton, Ill./Skokie-Niles West) went the first six and one-third innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits and three walks. Mehn (6-2) gave up five runs, four earned, on nine hits and no walks.
“We’re going to kids who haven’t played a lot,” said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV,“ and they’re producing. It started with pitching Nic Jensen yesterday. Today I started the little man [Pugliese] because of the left-handed pitcher, and he had great at bats all day. My coaches wanted me to pinch hit for him in the ninth with a big, tall kid who could get a hold of one, but I stuck with him, and he little guy hits a home run. I couldn’t be happier with him. Or with Eric Barber. That whole inning was set up by two guys who have basically sat on the bench all year. I don’t know what’s going on. I think I have a horse shoe up my tail. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. Danny Dahm pitched well, except for the one inning where we sort of panicked, like we often do. It’s that time of the season where you just take what comes, and we’re happy as heck to be playing in the championship game.”
CCIW Tournament Championship-Round Notes: Carthage took a 4-0 lead in the first inning off North Central starting pitcher Michael McGrath. Will Hodges hit an RBI-double. Following an a fielding error by shortstop Alex Khoury, Matt Soderlund doubled in two more runs, and John Hasser singled in one for the 4-0 margin. Joey Aiello launched a two-run home run in the second, and the Red Men led, 6-0. Tyler Eickmeyer hit a solo shot in the fourth to make it 7-0. North Central got on the scoreboard in the seventh on a solo homer by Brennan Hagensee. Hodges singled in a run in the eighth to up Carthage’s lead to 9-1. Brian Huntsinger hit a two-run double in the ninth, and the Red Men led, 11-1.
Eric Rohe (Jr., Mundelein, Ill., 6-2) went the distance for Carthage and limited North Central to one run on seven hits and one walk, while striking out a career-high 13 batters. Michael McGrath (2-3) took the loss. Will Hodges (Sr., Oak Park, Ill./Naperville-North) went three-for-five with a double, his eighth home run and three RBI. Joey Aiello (Jr., Libertyville, Ill.) went two-for-five with a home run and two RBI and Billy Herrin two-for-five with four runs scored.
“This was as good as we could do,” said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV. “We came down here with some difficult weather circumstances and went 3-0 to win the tournament. Our conference is a good one, and winning a conference tournament is special, because it’s hard to do. The first two games were difficult. Today, we got some offense, and Eric Rohe did a great job on the mound. We got ahead early, and I think that took the wind out of North Central. I’m glad we were able to settle this on the field and finish the tournament. We did it the right way, and we’re happy as heck to be representing the CCIW in the NCAA regionals this week. I think we’re clicking a little bit better. We’re getting used to not having Mike Petti in the lineup. We know a little bit more about how to deal with that injury, and I think our pitching really stepped up in the tournament. From here, it only gets tougher—we know that.”
NCAA Regional First-Round Notes: Buena Vista took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Dylan Colo led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, moved up to third on an grounder and scored on a double by Brock Yossi. Carthage tied the game, 1-1, in the bottom of the inning. Tyler Eickmeyer led off with a single, advanced to second on a bunt and scored from second when Chris D’Angelo bounced a single over the first baseman’s head.
The Beavers took a 2-1 lead in the sixth. Michael Hoffman singled, advanced to second on a balk, moved up to third on a bunt and scored, with the infield pulled in, on a single by Ryan Scheetz just over the shortstops’ head. The Red Men escaped further trouble when Scheetz broke for home on a steal attempt, but Andy Compton popped a bunt attempt into a double play. The Buena Vista seventh frame turned into an inning from hell, as the Beavers scored three times to take a 5-1 lead. After Colo led off with a bunt single, Brad Blum came up with a hit and run single to send Colo to third. Carthage botched a rundown play when Blum broke for second. Second baseman Tyler Eickmeyer threw the ball away, allowing Colo to score from third. Blum then stole second and scored on a single by Yossi. Yossi went to second on grounder, stole third and scored on a single by Kevin Kloewer.
The Beavers added two runs in the eighth to make it a 7-1 game. Joe Paletta opened the inning by reaching base on an infield error, Carthage’s fifth miscue of the game. Pinch-runner Nick Maxwell stole second and third, the Beavers’ fourth steal of third in the game, and scored on a single by Tyler Case. Case scored on a triple by Blum. Buena Vista scored again in the ninth to close out the scoring at 8-1.
Beavers pitcher Luke Probasco (8-3) went the distance and limited the Red Men to one run on eight hits and a walk. Mario Perez (Sr., Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township, 3-4) took the loss. Perez allowed five runs over seven innings on eight hits and a walk. Michael Sanchez (Sr., Oswego, Ill.) worked the final two frames and gave up three runs, just one earned, on four hits. Brock Yossi went two-for-five, one of five Beavers with two hits, and added two RBI. Buena Vista attempted six bunts and stole five bases in five attempts. Will Hodges (Sr., Oak Park, Ill./Naperville-North) led the Red Men with three singles in four trips to the plate.
“That’s the worst we’ve played all year,” said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV. “To do that at this time of the year just makes it worse. A loss is a loss, whether it’s a walk off or game where you stink it up. I hope we can’t play any worse than this. We’re pretty disappointed after playing so well this past weekend at the conference tournament. The Buena Vista small-ball wasn’t a surprise, and they really didn’t start to play that game until they had us down. We didn’t control the game, and next thing you know, they’re running all over the place. It got away from us, but that’s a little bit of our method of operation. We get into a bad situation, and we don’t right the ship very well. We had a good game going through four or five innings—I didn’t see this coming. Now, we’re reeling, and we’ll have to see how long we can hang around.”
NCAA Regional vs. Coe Game Notes: In the Red Men’s win over Coe, Carthage broke a scoreless tie with a two-run fourth inning. After loading the bases on a walk to Will Hodges, a Zach Kozlowski single and a walk to Kyle Pusateri, Matt Soderlund doubled in two runs. The Red Men upped their lead to 5-0 with three runs in the fifth. After Joey Aiello singled and Will Hodges was hit by a pitch, John Hasser singled in a run. Chris D’Angelo followed with a two-run, stand-up triple that got by a diving Coe centerfielder Nick Stein
Meanwhile, Carthage pitcher Danny Dahm (Sr., Morton Grove, Ill./Skokie-Niles West, 5-0) was on cruise control. After allowing just a single in each of the first three innings, he grazed Schuver with a pitch in the fourth. A double play ended that inning, and Dahm proceeded to retire the next 13 batters in order over the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth frames.
Because it wouldn’t be Carthage baseball 2011-style without makings things interesting, the ninth inning got very interesting. With one out, the Kohawks put runners on second and third on a walk to Stein, a balk and an error by third baseman Zach Kozlowski. Adam Nisenson followed with a single up the middle to score both runners, cutting the lead to 5-2. Kevin Schuver then hit a single to the hole that shortstop Kyle Pusateri threw away on the attempted force play at second base. Nisenson wound up at third and Schuver at second, with Ryan Schisler at the plate, representing the game-tying run. Dahm got Schisler on a swinging strikeout for the second out, but Ryan Velvick singled to center to score Nisenson, with Schuver stopping at third. With the tying run now at first base, Dahm got pinch-hitter Kaileb Armstrong on a grounder to short to end the game.
Dahm allowed three runs, just one earned, on six hits and a walk over nine innings, while striking out six batters. Wade Morris (10-3) took the loss. Morris surrendered all five Carthage runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings. Alex Korth blanked the Red Men on one hit over the final three innings. Chris D’Angelo (Jr., Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove) went two-for-four with a triple and two RBI, while John Hasser (Sr., St. Louis, Mo./Christian Brother College H.S.) went two-for-four with a double and an RBI.
“Danny Dahm did a great job today,” said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV, “and he gave us just what we needed. Now that we understand how some of these teams play with the small-ball and the running game, we needed to get ahead and take the pressure off our pitching. For Dahm to go out and stuff Coe like he did, he was the story in this game. We played a great game until the ninth inning when we kicked it around again and got that panicked-look. ‘Here we go again,’ I’m thinking. There’s that iceberg again. The Buena Vista game was embarrassing, and it hurt a lot because we care so much. We talked a lot about that last night, and I’m proud of how we approached this game. We showed everyone that we can play, and we live to see another day. You hope you can battle your way back into something, and I think we have enough pitching to do that.”
NCAA Regional vs. Thomas More Game Notes: In the Red Men’s win over Thomas More, Carthage took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. With one out, Tyler Eickmeyer singled, stole second and scored on a single by Will Hodges. Thomas More tied the game in the bottom half David Kennett led off with a single, went to third on an infield single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Sam Schmeltzer. Three Saints errors in the second inning opened the door for a six-run Carthage outburst that gave the Red Men a 7-1 lead. Chris D’Angelo led off with double to the corner that rightfielder Ryan Darner misplayed, allowing D’Angelo to take third base. D’Angelo scored on grounder by Josh Albers. Kyle Pusateri doubled and took third on an error by shortstop David Kennett. Tyler Eickmeyer walked to load the bases, and Joey Aiello doubled in two runs. Will Hodges followed with another two-run double, and he scored on an error at first base. The double by Hodges chased starting pitcher David Etscheid (6-3) from the game.
Carthage made it a 9-2 game in the seventh. Matt Soderlund scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch, and Eickmeyer singled in a run. Thomas More threatened in the eighth off starting pitcher Eric Rohe. The Saints loaded the bases, and Rohe issued a walk to Brandon Nutini to force in a run before getting Kennett to fly to left to end the inning. A Josh Albers double in the ninth gave Carthage a 10-4 lead and closed out the scoring. Eric Rohe (Jr., Mundelein, Ill., 7-2) allowed four runs, two earned, on 10 hits and two walks over eight innings, while striking out nine batters. Mitch Lochen (So., Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) worked a scoreless ninth inning. Will Hodges (Sr., Oak Park, Ill./Naperville-North) went four-for-five with a double and three RBI, and the senior outfielder is now seven-for-10 in the tournament. Matt Soderlund (Sr., Racine, Wis./Washington Park) also had four hits in five trips.
“There’s a little fight left in this dog,” said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV, “and the dog is us. We got a great pitching performance from Eric Rohe, and the scoreboard didn’t even reflect how well he pitched because of our shoddy defense. We’re playing very tentatively, defensively, and just not making plays. We were lucky Rohe struck out nine guys, because in the eighth inning, I wasn’t sure we were going to make a play if the ball was hit on the ground. We are just not tough enough, defensively. Rohe’s pitch count finally reached the point where I had to bring in Mitch Lochen for the ninth. That being said, we did turn some double plays, and we hit the ball around a little bit. I guess you have to take what comes. We’ll re-group, and hopefully we can play with better confidence tomorrow. Buena Vista is playing very well, and I suppose they’re the best team at the moment, but the best team doesn’t always win. Maybe we can gut this thing through tomorrow and get this thing.”
NCAA Regional Championship-Round Notes: Carthage took a 5-0 win in the opening inning of the title game. A Buena Vista infield error triggered the rally. Joey Aiello drove in the first run with an infield grounder. Will Hodges doubled in a run. Josh Albers walked with the bases loaded, and Kyle Pusateri singled in two runs. The Beavers scored single runs in the both the first and third innings off starting pitcher Sam Wilhelms (Fr., Fond du Lac, Wis.). Buena Vista added another run in the fourth off reliever Brett McQuade (Sr., St. Charles, Ill./East) to narrow the gap to 5-3. The Beavers put two runners on with two outs in the sixth when Carthage changed pitchers, bringing in Mitch Lochen, who got Brock Yossi on a fly out to end the inning.
Carthage scored a run in the seventh on a Joey Aiello sacrifice fly to make it 6-3. Ryan Scheetz singled in a run in the seventh to shave the Carthage lead to 6-4. With two outs and runners on second and third, Dylan Colo blooped a singled to right-center to score both runners for a 6-6 tie. Colo took second on the play and advanced to third on a passed ball. Lochen struck out Tyler Case, but Carthage catcher Matt Soderlund bobbled the ball, dropped his glove and did not throw down to first to complete the strikeout. Meanwhile, Colo snuck across the plate with the go-ahead run, as the Beavers took a 7-6 lead. The Red Men put two runners on base with two outs in the ninth, but Joey Aiello bounced to first base the end the game. Luke Probaso (9-3) was the winning pitcher, with James Stone picking up his eighth save. The loss went to Mitch Lochen (2-2).
In Saturday’s first game, Carthage took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, as Billy Herrin led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a bunt and scored on an infield single by Will Hodges. Buena Vista tied the game with a run in the bottom half. With two outs, Michael Hoffman singled, went to third on a single by Kevin Kloewer and scored on a single by Ryan Scheetz. The Red Men went up, 2-1, in the second when Chris D’Angelo reached base on a fielding error by Beavers shortstop Brad Blum, went to third on a single by Josh Albers and scored on an infield grounder by Kyle Pusateri. Carthage made it 3-1 in the third on a sacrifice fly by John Hasser. Buena Vista went ahead, 4-3, in the bottom of third on a three-run home by Kloewer off starting pitcher Nic Jensen (Sr., Appleton, Wis./East). The Red Men tied things up, 4-4, in the fourth on an RBI-single by Billy Herrin.
Carthage went up by two runs, 6-4, in the fifth. Will Hodges and Hasser walked, with the second free pass sending Beavers starting pitcher Jon Ringblom out of the game. Both runners advanced on a bunt, and Hodges scored on a grounder ball by Brian Huntsinger. Albers followed with a single to score Hasser. The Red Men scored again in the sixth to take a 7-4 edge. With two outs, Joey Aiello singled, went to second on a single by Hodges and scored on a single by Eric Barber. Buena Vista scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game, 7-7. Andy Compton reached on an error by first baseman Aiello. Luke Watson replaced Jensen on the hill, and Watson hit Dylan Colo, his second batter, with a pitch With two outs, Brock Yossi singled in Compton, and Hoffman followed with a two-run single to the left side to score two runs to tie the game.
Carthage re-gained the lead, 12-7, in the eighth, as the Beavers self-destructed with three errors. With the bases loaded against relief pitcher Kyle Dupic, Hodges drove in a run with an infield grounder. Mike Pugliese scored on an infield error, and two runs scored when Buena Vista centerfielder Tyler Case dropped a deep fly ball. Matt Soderlund scored the inning’s fifth on an error by second baseman Dylan Colo. Luke Watson (Fr., Appleton, Wis./Xavier, 3-0) was the winning pitcher. Tyler Lefeber (3-1), the third-of-six Beaver pitchers, took the loss. Carthage’s Will Hodges (Sr., Oak Park, Ill./Naperville-North) went three-for-four with a double and two RBI, while Josh Albers (Sr., Green Oaks, Ill./Libertyville) went three-for-five with an RBI. The Beavers, who entered the championship round without an error in four games, committed six miscues.
Pitcher Danny Dahm (Sr., Morton Grove, Ill./Skokie-Niles West), third baseman Josh Albers (Sr., Green Oaks, Ill./Libertyville), catcher Matt Soderlund (Sr., Racine, Wis./Washington Park) and centerfielder Will Hodges (Sr., Oak Park, Ill./Naperville-North) were named to the all-tournament team, with Buena Vista pitcher Luke Probasco earning tournament MVP honors.
“We played our tails off today,” said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV, “but I guess we weren’t quite good enough. The effort we gave coming out of the loser’s bracket was almost enough to get this done. I am so proud of these kids. Baseball is famous for bizarre plays like the one we lost on. You don’t want to see it happen to anyone. It happens. It’s baseball. It hurts, because we made a hell of a run, and we thought we had this thing won. That play is unfortunate, but we wouldn’t have been in this tournament without Matt Soderlund—that’s for sure. We battled all the way to the end. This group kept it going for Carthage baseball. It was Carthage baseball all the way to the end. We may have had more heart than talent on this team, and I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.”