It was not a good day to play baseball, but the Carthage College team (9-7, 1-2 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) managed to split a doubleheader with CCIW-opponent Elmhurst College (6-8, 1-1) on Saturday, March 30 at Butterfield Park in Elmhurst, Ill. Game-time temperature was listed as 41 degrees, which was not quite believable. By the end of the twinbill, with a north wind at 18 miles an hour, it had dipped into the middle 30s.
In the opening game, Carthage's Vince Schwartz hit a two-run single in the third inning to break a scoreless tie. The Red Men sent 11 men to the plate and scored six times in the seventh to take an 8-0 lead. Colton Klein hit a two-run single in the inning, Ryan Kramer a two-run double, Cody Phelps an RBI-single and Ben Levicki an RBI-grounder. Johnny Belskis hit an RBI-double in the ninth to close out the scoring at 9-0.
Red Men starting pitcher Matt Willett (2-0) pitched very well in a complete-game effort. Willett blanked the Bluejays on six hits, five walks and six strikeouts. Alex Kielion (2-1), the first-of-three Elmhurst hurlers, took the loss and surrendered eight runs on 12 hits and three walks over six frames.
Ryan Kramer led the Red Men's 13-hit attack by going three-for-five with a double and two RBI. Colton Klein and Vince Schwartz each two hits and two RBI, and both Myles Farley and Johnny Belskis had two hits.
In the nightcap, Carthage scored an unearned run in the top of the first, but Elmhurst came back with a pair in the bottom half to take a 2-1 lead. An RBI-single by Myles Farley in the third tied the game, 2-2. The Bluejays scored two in the bottom of the third to re-gain the lead, 4-2. The Red Men scored an unearned run the seventh to narrow the lead to 4-3.
In the Elmhurst eighth, Elmhurst loaded the bases on a double, a single and an intentional walk. The intentional pass backfired, as Trey Compton delivered a single up the middle to score two, giving Elmhurst its final, 6-3 margin.
Jordan Scrimpsher (3-0) was the winning pitcher. He limited the Red Men to three runs, only one earned, on eight hits, no walks and 10 strikeouts over eight innings of work. Alec Berry worked a clean ninth inning to pick up his third save. Carthage starter Jacob Delabio (0-4), still in search of his first win, allowed four runs on three hits and four walks over four innings. Brandon Hanik entered the game in the fifth and Ben Rietz in the eighth. Vince Schwartz and Myles Farley had two hits apiece for Carthage.
The two teams conclude the three-game series with a single contest on Sunday, March 31 at Augie Schmidt Field in Kenosha, Wis. The Kenosha weather forecast calls for sunny skies and a high near 40 degrees.