By Steve Marovich, Athletics Staff Writer/2022 Baseball Contact

The Carthage College baseball team (12-24, 5-10 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) split a Monday, May 2 doubleheader with conference-opponent Millikin University (23-13, 9-7) at Augie Schmidt Field in Kenosha, Wis.  The Firebirds won the opening game, 3-2, but the Big Blue took the nightcap by a 12-6 margin in 12 innings.

Millikin took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opener on an RBI-double by Garrett Fritz. Another RBI-double by Liam McGill in the second made it 2-0.  The Firebirds narrowed the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the second on a solo home run by P.J. Moser.  Carthage tied the game, 2-2, in the seventh on an RBI-single by Matt Felber.

The Firebirds broke the tie on won the game, 3-2, when Moser connected on his second home of the game, a one-out solo shot.  Moser went two-for-four with the two solo homers.  Cody Tostrud had no hits in four trips to the plate to snap his 14-game hitting streak. 

First baseman Bryce Prybylinski collided with catcher Jax Calverley chasing a foul ball in the fifth inning and had to leave the game.  Prybylinski, who entered the game batting .423, did not play in the second game and was being evaluated by the Carthage athletic training staff.

Pitcher Bryce Schaum started the game and pitched well, allowing just two runs on six hits, four walks and four strikeouts over seven innings.  Jake Hartman Jr. (3-1) picked up the win by blanking the Big Blue on a hit and two walks over the last two innings.  Caleb Buehrle (7-4) took the loss and surrendered three runs on six hits, no walks and seven strikeouts over eight and one-third innings.

Millikin took a 2-0 lead in the second inning of the nightcap on a hit, an error, a walk and a passed ball.  Carthage tied the game, 2-2, in the bottom half on a two-run homer by Collin Callahan.  The Big Blue went up, 3-2, in the third, scoring a run on an infield grounder.  The Firebirds knotted things up, 3-3, in the fifth on a base-loaded walk to Jax Calverley.

Things started to fall apart for the Firebirds in the seventh.  Relief pitcher Brandon Marquardt hit his first two batters and was replaced by Thomas Coffey.  One out later, Keegan Brady launched a three-run homer to put the Big Blue up by three runs, 6-3.

Carthage got two runs back in the seventh to cut the lead to 6-5.  The first run of the inning scored on an infield throwing error, with Kody Krekling driving in the other with a single.  Matt Felber tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a solo homer to send things into extra innings.

Things really fell apart for Carthage In the Millikin 12th inning.  Pitcher Nathan Schnabel opened the inning by hitting three batters in a row to load the bases.  Liam McGill followed with a two-run single off reliever James Lindenmuth.  Tommy Shaw hit an RBI-single and Garrett Fritz a two-run single.  Another run scored on a wild pitch for a 12-6 Millikin lead.  The Firebirds were unable to mount any sort of rally in the bottom of the 12th.

Keagan Brady went two-for-three with four RBI to pace an 11-hit Millikin attack.  Kody Krekling went three-for-six for Carthage.  Kelby Golladay (2-1), the fifth-of-five Millikin pitchers, was the winning pitcher for the Big Blue, as he blanked the Firebirds on two hits and a walk over the final three innings.  Nathan Schnabel (0-3), the fourth-of-six Carthage pitchers, took the loss.  Firebird pitchers combined to hit seven Millikin batters.

Carthage closes out its home schedule on Friday, May 5 by playing host to CCIW-opponent Augustana College (Ill.) in a 3 p.m. game, also at Augie Schmidt Field.