Twenty-eight degrees at game time? We're from Wisconsin. No-hit until the sixth inning? We'll get past that. Out-hit over nine innings? So what? We've got Jared Helmich pitching.
The Carthage College baseball team (11-9, 4-2 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) opened a three-game series against Illinois Wesleyan University (11-10, 4-2 CCIW) on Saturday, April 9 with a 3-0 shutout of the Titans at Augie Schmidt Field in Kenosha, Wis.
Red Men starting pitcher Jared Helmich (3-0) was nothing short of heroic on Saturday. Aided by three double plays, he scattered seven singles in a complete-game, nine-inning effort and didn't walk a batter until the ninth.
Carthage had a golden opportunity in the third inning when Nick Huskisson walked the bases loaded with one out. Unfortunately, the Red Men had to settle for a single run, as Helmich scored one with an infield grounder, and Reed Hero flied to center to end the inning.
Nick Huskisson (5-1) pitched almost as well as Helmich. Huskisson had a no-hit bid broken up with two outs in the sixth when Matt Rave doubled down the leftfield line, and Alex Letto followed with a two-run home run for a 3-0 Carthage lead. Huskisson wound up allowing three runs on just two hits, three walks and six strikeouts over seven innings, with Louis Acklin pitching one-two-three eighth inning.
"Jared Helmich was obviously the difference today," said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV, "but their guy pitched awesome. Alex Letto got the barrel onto one for a home run, and we win a close game. It was a tough day to play baseball, and we're happy to get out of here with a win against a really, really good team. For Helmich to go nine innings, not walk a guy until the ninth and keep a low pitch count was huge. It's still all about the series, and hopefully we won't have to shovel snow tomorrow morning"
With the cold weather, two teams agreed to change Saturday's originally-scheduled doubleheader to a single game. Carthage and Illinois Wesleyan will attempt to play a doubleheader on Sunday, April 10 at 11 a.m. when the temperatures will be better, albeit with an 80 percent chance of rain during the day. Snow covered the field as late as 10 a.m. on Saturday, the game-time temperature of 28 degrees rose to only 30 as the contest went on.