The Carthage College baseball team (25-8, 13-5 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 20th in the May 2 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association /"D3baseball.com" poll and fourth in the May 5 NCAA Division III Central Region poll, pounded non-conference opponent Lakeland College (14-19), 20-0, on Thursday, May 5 at the Carthage Baseball Field in Kenosha, Wis., in a final tune-up before this weekend's CCIW-showdown with North Park University.

It was a slugfest of epic proportions.  The bottom of the first inning took 26 minutes to complete, as the Red Men sent 15 batters to the plate.  Carthage scored nine times before Lakeland recorded an out, as the Red Men opened the game with seven-straight hits.  Carthage scored 10 times in the first inning on 11 hits, six for extra bases.  By the third inning, the Red Men were leading, 15-0, and had already tied a school record with nine doubles.  When the onslaught ended in the seventh, Carthage had 20 runs on 26 hits with a school-record 12 doubles.  The existing mark of nine two-baggers was set against the Milwaukee School of Engineering on March 28, 1998 and matched against Blackburn College on May 22, 2004 in the NCAA Central Regional Championship.  Carthage fell just thee total base hits short of tying a school record of 26 set versus North Park in 1993.

Billy Herrin (Sr., Galesburg, Ill.) went four-for-five with a double and two RBI.  Josh Albers (Sr., Green Oaks, Ill./Libertyville) went three-for-four with three runs scored, three doubles and four RBI.  Joe Aiello (Jr., Libertyville, Ill.) and John Hasser (Sr., St. Louis, Mo./Christian Brothers College H.S.) both went three-for-four with an RBI.  Pitcher Brett McQuade (St. Charles, Ill./East, 1-0), making his first appearance of the year, worked the first four innings and blanked the Muskies on two hits and a walk.  Tyler Johansen pitched the fifth inning, and Danny Davies worked the final two frames.  Derek Loomans (1-1) was the losing pitcher, surrendering the first 15 runs on 18 hits and two walks over two and two-thirds innings.

This weekend's series with CCIW-opponent and No. 26 North Park University (27-9, 12-5 CCIW) gets underway with a Noon doubleheader on Saturday, May 7 in Kenosha, Wis., followed by a single game on Sunday, May 8 at the Holmgren Athletic Complex in Chicago, beginning at 1 p.m.