The Carthage College baseball team (15-16, 8-8 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) opened a three-game series with CCIW-opponent and No. 24 Illinois Wesleyan University (24-7, 14-2 CCIW) with a 4-2 loss on Friday night, April 26 at Jack Horenberger Field in Bloomington, Ill.  The two teams conclude the series with a Noon doubleheader on Saturday, April 27.

Illinois Wesleyan took an early, 1-0 lead when Kevin Callahan hit a solo home run in the first inning.  Zach Scott's RBI single in the third made it 2-0.  Meanwhile, Titan starting pitcher Matt Hart baffled the Red Men on one hit over the first five innings, that being a Matt Richer double in the second.  Carthage strung together three singles in the sixth, with Kyle Pusateri's hit driving in a run to make it a 2-1 game.  Scott singled in another run in the seventh to give the Titans a 3-1 edge, and Red Men hurler Jeremy Salzman (Jr., Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) gave way to Mitch Lochen (Sr., Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) with two outs in the seventh, and Nick Hahn greeted Lochen with an RBI-single to up the IWU lead to 4-1. 

Matt Hart (4-2) limited the Red Men to one run on six hits and two walks over eight innings.  John Munyon over to start the ninth inning and earned a shaky save, his third of the year.  Carthage loaded the bases with no outs on a single by Kyle Pusateri and walks to Marc Mantucca and Matt Richer.  Mike Merritt then hit into double play to score Pusateri, but Stevo Kraynak fouled out to third baseman Anthony Lopez to end the game.  Salzman (2-4) allowed all four runs on eight hits and a walk over six and two-thirds innings.  Pusateri and Brian Huntsinger each had two hits for the Red Men.