The Carthage College baseball team (7-1, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) defeated Middlebury College (0-3), 13-1, on Sunday, March 22 at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Ariz.
Carthage took a 1-0 lead in the second on an RBI-triple by to deep centerfield by Sean Carroll. In the third, Drew Bailey's two-run homer and an RBI-single by John Stevens gave the Red Men a 4-0 lead. Zach Wade hit a solo home run in the fifth, and Carthage led, 5-0. Bailey singled in a run the sixth, and Reed Hero added a two-run single for an 8-0 margin. Middlebury's Dylan Sinnockson hit a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 8-1. The Red Men put the game away with a five-run seventh inning, with Nick Schmidlkofer and Bailey both hitting two-run doubles and Jared Helmich adding an RBI-single. The game ended after seven innings due to a 10-run rule and Carthage winning, 13-1.
Carthage collected 15 hits. Drew Bailey (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) led the way by going three-for-four with a double, a home run and five RBI. Jared Helmich (Sr., Elk Grove, Ill.), Nick Schmidlkofer (Sr., Wind Lake, Wis./Muskego), Zach Wade (So., Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) and Sean Carroll (Sr., New Lenox, Ill./Providence Catholic) had two hits each, with Schmidlkofer driving in two runs.
Starting pitcher Jared Helmich (1-0) was solid, going all seven innings and allowing just one run on five hits, two walks and eight strikeouts. Helmich struck the side, all on called third strikes, in the fourth inning. Cooper Byrne (0-1) took the loss for the Panthers.
"We kept pressing and pressing," said Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV, "and the next thing you know, we're up by 10 runs. "Drew Bailey is really coming out of it and hit a home run again today. We really need him hitting in the middle with a few guys out of action due to injuries. Zach Wade is also on a tear. This was a good, clean game, with no errors or mental mistakes. Jared Helmich pitched a really good game, and he's going to be a good one."
The trip to the Tucson Invitational continues with a 12:30 p.m. game (all times MST) against Carleton College on Monday, March 23., followed by Oberlin College on Tuesday, March 24 at 11 a.m. and Oberlin again on Wednesday, March 25 at 9 a.m.