The weather improved in Arizona on Tuesday, March 20, but the Carthage College baseball team (2-2, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 13th in the March 20 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association/"D3baseball.com" poll, dropped a 2-1 pitcher's duel to Hamline University (7-7) at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Ariz.

Hamline broke a scoreless tie in the fourth when Ben Richardson ripped a two-out RBI-double down the leftfield line.  That's the way it stayed until the top of the eighth inning, with Carthage starting pitcher Andrew Arenson matching Hamline hurler Dan Ellefson for the first five innings before giving way to Marc Mantucca in the sixth.

In the top of the eighth, Carthage's Tyler Eickmeyer tripled with two outs and scored on a double by Kyle Frye to tie the game, 1-1.  In the bottom half, however, Richardson hit a fly to medium-right-center field that fell in between rightfielder Kyle Frye and a diving Tyler Eickmeyer in center for a one-out base hit.  Tyler Johnson walked, and Daniel Zurbe singled to load the bases.  Jordan Rubbelke followed with a chopper over Mantucca's head.  Shortstop Drew Bailey made the play and got Rubbelke at first, but Richardson scored the go-ahead run.  The Red Men put a runner on with two outs in the ninth, but Mike Wasche was called out on strikes to end the game.

Dan Ellefson (2-1) stymied Carthage on eight hits and no walks, while striking out six.  Andrew Arenson allowed one run on four hits and two walks over the first five innings, while striking out nine batters.  Mantucca (0-1) gave up one run on four hits and a walk over the final three innings.

"Dan Ellefson was good," said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV.  "He went nine innings, we had him on the ropes, but we couldn't get the big hit.  Andrew Arenson threw awesome against a really good team, and so did Marc Mantucca.  Arenson is farther along than we thought as a pitcher, and I think he's going to be special.  We lost this game because two senior outfielders can't seem to catch a fly ball, and that hurts.  We'll get that straightened out.  Other than that, it was a good baseball game.  We need to do a better job of hitting in crucial situations.  Baseball is about getting the two-out hit, and we didn't do that today."