Bears End Season With 21-3 Loss to No. 5 Carthage

WASHU-CARTHAGE BOX

Moline, Ill., May 16, 2009 – Washington University’s season came to an end in the 2009 NCAA Division III Baseball Central Regional on Saturday with a 21-3 loss to No. 5 ranked Carthage College on Saturday afternoon in Moline, Ill. 

Washington University, who was making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance, ends its season with a 25-12 overall record. The Bears won 10 of their last 11 games in the regular season to earn its fourth postseason appearance in the last five seasons.

The Bears scored first for the fourth-straight game with a run in the bottom of the first. Junior Nick Vom Brack drew a two-out walk, and then junior Joe Wenzel doubled down the left field line scoring Vom Brack to make it 1-0. Carthage put together a string of four-straight hit in the second to take it first lead of the game after a two-RBI double to centerfield by Mark Sobol.

Washington U. trimmed the lead to 3-2 with an unearned run in the bottom of the second as junior Remy Midkiff reached on a an error by the third baseman allowing Matt Bayer to score. The Red Men piled it on in the third with four hits and three walks for four runs to push the lead to 7-2.

Carthage (34-6) put the game out of reach with five runs in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 12-2. Mike Hughes recorded the big hit of the inning, a two-RBI bases load single to right with one out.

Sophomore Adam Merzel (7-2) suffered just his second loss of the season going just 2 1/3 innings allowing seven hits and seven earned runs in his shortest outing of the year. Sophomore Bryce Hrovat also struggled on the mound in relief throwing two innings allowing five hits and five earned runs.

Wenzel was 2-for-4 with an RBI and sophomore Miguel Davis was 2-for-4 in the loss for Washington U., who was held to nine hits in the loss. Mario Perez (6-0) tossed a complete-game for Carthage on the mound striking out eight and walking two.

Bear Notebook: The Bears have lost their last seven NCAA Tournament games dating back to 2005 … Lehmann extended his hitting streak to 14 games win a single in the eighth inning … Washington U. is 3-14 (.176) all-time in the NCAA Tournament … Head coach Ric Lessmann coached his 1,890th game of his career on Saturday.