The Carthage College baseball team (15-16, 8-7 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin)  lost a 2-1 game to No. 6 Wisconsin-Whitewater (21-6) on Tuesday, April 26 at Prucha Field in Whitewater, Wis.

Wisconsin-Whitewater took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, scoring two runs on the benefit of one base hit, a hit batter, a double steal and passed ball.  Carthage's Brandon Hrdlicka and UW-Whitewater's Heath Renz dueled away until the seventh, when the Red Men got on the board with a single run.  Pinch-runner John Stevens scored from second base on a single to right by Myles Farley, and that was it for the scoring.

Heath Renz (3-0) was the winning pitcher and allowed one run on five hits, no walks and three strikeouts over seven innings.  James Georgakas enter the game in the eighth and earned his first save.  Brandon Hrdlicka (2-1) pitched well for the Red Men, allowing two runs on four hits, one walk and five strikeouts over seven and one-third innings.  Luc DiMaso finished up in the eighth inning.  Myles Farley had two of Carthage's five hits.

"We played a decent game after the first inning," said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV.  "We gave up two runs early, and we faced a really good pitcher who threw the ball well.  Brandon Hrdlicka also threw a great game, so we had two good pitchers on a tough day to hit.  We just couldn't muscle up a clutch hit down the stretch.  Wisconsin-Whitewater has a really good club, and we have a knack for getting down early.  We need to get out of that habit."

The Red Men play at home next on Thursday, April 28 by playing host to Aurora University (18-16) in a 3 p.m. contest at Augie Schmidt Field.