By Steve Marovich, Athletics Staff Writer/2022 Baseball Contact
The Carthage College baseball team (4-8) snapped a four-game losing streak on Thursday, March 17 with a 12-2 trouncing of Macalester University (1-5) at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Ariz.
While the Firebirds were due for a breakout game, they may have caught the Scots at just the right time. Macalester's game with Carthage was the back end of a split doubleheader for the Scots, with Macalester losing a three and one-half hour donnybrook to Wesleyan University, 17-16, just before they took on the Firebirds.
Carthage broke a scoreless tie with a four spot in the third inning. Cody Tostrud hit an RBI-single. P.T. Boeye followed with a two-run triple, and Austin Prybylinski drove in the fourth run with an infield grounder.
The Firebirds turned the game into a laugher by scoring six times in the fourth to take a 10-0 lead. Jake Snider hit an RBI-double, with the second run scoring on an infield error. Tostrud followed with a sacrifice fly. Boeye singled up the middle to score the fourth run. Austin Prybylinski drove in the fifth run with a double, and Chase Gibson singled in the sixth run of the inning.
An RBI-single by Tostrud in the fifth made it 11-0. Starting pitcher Dante Guarascio gave the beleaguered Carthage bullpen a day off. The senior lefty cruised through the first five innings, blanking the Scots on four hits, before Matt Mukai connected on a two-run home run with no outs in the sixth to make it an 11-2 contest. In the Carthage seventh, Jake Snider doubled in a run to put the Firebirds back up by 10, 12-2.
Macalester put two runners on base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Guarascio got Mukai on a swinging strikeout to end the game on a 10-run rule. Guarascio (2-2) allowed two runs on nine hits and two walks, while striking out 10 batters over seven innings. The complete game was only the second for Carthage in 12 games this season. Matt Rade (0-2) took the loss and surrendered the first 10 runs, six earned, on nine hits over three and two-thirds innings.
Carthage's P.T. Boeye went three-for-three with three RBI to pace the Firebirds' 15-hit attack. Cody Tostrud went two-for-three with three RBI, Nick Caruso two-for-three with three runs scored and Jake Snider three-for-four with two doubles and two RBI.
There was some worrisome news for Carthage on Thursday. In the first inning, leadoff batter for Macalester, Iyan Pelfree fielded a ball in right and injured his surgically-repaired elbow on the throw back into the infield. His status is unclear at this time.
"Dante Guarascio pitched really well today, and we needed that," said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV. "His only rough inning was the sixth when he gave up a base hit and a wind-blown homer. Other than that, he was great and really gave us a lift. Our bats came alive, even though Colton Klein, Bryce Prybylinski and Joe Zuleger were all out of the lineup with injuries or being sick. P.T. Boeye had a nice day, but we kind of spread it around with everyone helping the cause. We also played pretty good defense. It was just a better day all the way around. We'll take this one—we've had some really tough days this week. The kids are working hard, they're staying with it, and we're trying to grow up fast."
Carthage takes on Augsburg University (6-5) on Friday in an 11 a.m., CDT contest, also at the Kino Sports Complex.