The Carthage College baseball team (4-3, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 47th in the March 15 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association /"D3baseball.com" poll, defeated Montclair State University (3-2), 7-4, on Tuesday, March 15 at the "Snow Bird Baseball Classic" at North County Regional Park in North Port, Fla.
Billy Herrin led off the game with single, moved up to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single up the middle by Chris D'Angelo. A Mike Petti RBI-single in the second made it 2-0. Montclair State got a run back in the second to cut the lead to 2-1. Chris D'Angelo hit a two-run triple in the fourth inning to up the Red Men's lead to 4-1. Petti drove in another run in the fifth with a single up the middle, and Carthage led, 5-1.
Meanwhile, Carthage's Eric Rohe (Jr., Mundelein, Ill.) was twirling a gem. The righty gave up three singles in the first three innings before retiring 12 in a row into the seventh. The Red Hawks nicked Rohe for a run in the eighth on an RBI-fielder's choice by Jay Bionde. The Red Men tacked on a pair of runs in the ninth on back-to-back RBI-singles by Matt Soderlund and Kyle Pusateri. Montclair scored a run in the ninth on an RBI-double by Kevin Bond. With a 7-3 lead, two runners on and one out, Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV summoned reliever and converted-infielder Michael Sanchez to replace Rohe. Sanchez surrendered a sacrifice fly to Cody Pace before getting Jason Chesterman on a called third strike to end the game.
Rohe (2-0) allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits and no walks over eight and one-third innings, and Sanchez earned his first save. Mike Petti (Sr., Mundelein, Ill.) went three-for-five with a double and three RBI. Matt Soderlund (Sr., Racine, Wis./Washington Park) and Kyle Pusateri (Jr., Schaumburg, Ill.) each had three hits in five trips with an RBI each, as the Red Men collected 16 hits off five Montclair State pitchers. Alex Lesch (0-1), the Red Hawks starting pitcher, took the loss.
"We continued to play the kind of good baseball we showed yesterday against Heidelberg, prior to the nightmare ninth inning" said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV. "We swung the bats well, and we got eight strong innings from Eric Rohe, which we really needed. Montclair State is really a good-hitting team, but Rohe settled in pitched great. We need to get through tomorrow with our pitching, and then we get a day off the re-load. While Rohe was the story, I really liked our we competed today against a really good team. I think the kids are buying into this tough schedule and how this is going to help us in the long run."
On Wednesday, March 16, the Red Men play Utica College in a 2 p.m., EDT game at North County Regional Park. Following an off-day on March 17, Carthage plays Otterbein University in a Friday, March 18 doubleheader at North County Regional Park. The trip concludes with a single game versus No. 34 Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Saturday, March 19 at 10 a.m., also at North County Regional Park.