No one said it was going to be easy.

Carthage College advanced to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship semifinals Sunday by defeating Shenandoah University 9-8 in 11 innings.

The Red Men (37-8), ranked fourth in the American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division III poll and seventh in "D3baseball.com" poll, built a 6-1 lead only to allow the Hornets to tie it 8-8 before Carthage catcher Mike Hughes ended it with a home run to left-center field in the 11th inning.

"In all honesty, I was trying to get a hit. I've had a tough tournament," Hughes said. "I didn't want to think it was a home run, but I knew I hit it pretty well. It felt good off the bat."

The Red Men will play St. Thomas (Minn.) in a semifinal game at noon, today. This is the first time since 1997 that the Red Men have reached the national semifinals.

Carthage took a 2-0 in the first inning. The Red Men loaded the bases on walks to Chris Shannon and Hughes, sandwiched around a double by former Park High School standout John Lequia. Drew Roberts followed with a two-run single past first base.

An RBI double by the Hornets' Greg Van Sickler in the bottom of the first cut Carthage's lead to 2-1.

Shannon singled up the middle in the second to drive in a run for a 3-1 edge. Lequia followed with a three-run home run down the right-field line for a 6-1 lead.

Carthage freshman pitcher Eric Rohe was cruising along with a one-hitter until the Red Men defense collapsed in the fifth

inning.

Shenandoah (38-9) scored four runs on three hits and four Carthage errors to cut its deficit to 6-5.

"Our defense behind Rohe was brutal," Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV said. "That fifth inning was bleak - we looked like a deer in the headlights. It was a mess, but we got through it."

Carthage made it 8-5 in the sixth. Will Hodges walked to open the inning. Shoreland Lutheran graduate Tyler Eickmeyer singled Hodges to second, and both

runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt.

Trevor Whately reached on a fielder's choice, with Hodges cut down at the plate. Shannon followed with a single up the middle to score Eickmeyer. Lequia then hit a single through the left side to score Whately.

The Hornets put their first two batters on base to open the seventh, with Kevin Brashears walking and Scott Lambert singling to left.

Carthage coach Augie Schmidt IV summoned Scott Danly from the bullpen to relieve Rohe. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, and Van Sickler singled to center, scoring Brashears.

Scott Van Dusseldorp reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Lambert to score and leave Carthage with an 8-7 lead.

Danly gave way to Mike Maher with two on and two out in the eighth. Lambert delivered an RBI single to right-center field to score Adam Delauter with tying run at 8-8.

The Red Men had runners on first and second with one out in the top of the ninth, but Tim Hansen hit into an inning-ending double play.

In the bottom of the ninth, Van Sickler led off with a single to left. Van Dusseldorp tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but he popped it up.

Maher charged off the mound, caught the ball and doubled Van Sickler off at first base for a double play. Cory Nelson flied out to send the game into extra innings.

Shenandoah advanced a runner to third in the bottom of the 11th but Maher (3-0) got Van Sickler to fly out to center for the final out.

Lequia went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and four RBIs, and Roberts went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. With a single in the sixth, Eickmeyer extended his hitting streak to 24 games.

"I'm proud of kids - we really hung in there," Schmidt said. "Anytime you have a big lead, and it slips away, you just feel like you never have any momentum.

"All the way until Mike Hughes hit the home run, it just felt we couldn't get over the hump. It wasn't a pretty game, by any means, but it was us.

"We play like that a lot, with a lot of chaos, insanity and mistakes, but we always seem to persevere."