KENOSHA, Wis. - The RU baseball team hit the road Tuesday afternoon for a midweek non-conference game at the Carthage College Red Men. Rockford entered the game on a bit of a hot streak as the Regents had won three of their last four games including two straight. However, on Tuesday it was Carthage who was in control for the entire game as they defeated Rockford by a 13-6 final.
The Rockford offense was held without a run for the first 7 innings as the Red Men slowly built an insurmountable lead. Carthage scored 3 runs in the first inning to jump out to a quick 3-0 lead. The Red Men then added 2 more runs in the third, 4 in the fifth and 1 more in the seventh to extend its lead to 10-0.
The Regents finally broke through in the top of the eighth inning with four runs ending Carthage's bid at a shutout. After an error allowed Rockford's leadoff runner to reach base, juniors Robert Smith (Bartlett, Ill.) and Cole Logemann (Lena, Ill.) strung together back-to-back singles to load the bases with no one out. One batter later, Connor McHugh (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) drew an RBI walk to give Rockford its first run of the game. Kevin Robinson (Schaumburg, Ill.) then cut further into Carthage's lead as he laced a 2-run single into left field to make it a 10-3 game. The Regents' final run of the inning came off a Carthage error.
Unfortunately, Carthage answered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the eighth to push its lead back to nine before Rockford scored a pair of runs in the ninth. Kraemer Brandt (Elk Grove, Ill.) and Robert Smith began the inning with one-out, back-to-back singles putting runners on first and second. One batter later, Cole Logemann drove in the first run of the inning with an RBI double into left field. Connor McHugh then plated the final run of the inning with an RBI groundout. However, it would not be enough as the Regents fell 13-6.
The Rockford University baseball team returns to action on Thursday, April 16 at home against North Central. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Aviators Stadium.
