From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
The Case Western Reserve baseball team jumped to an 11-4 lead and held on for an 11-10 win at John Carroll in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader and lead 6-5 through six innings of the suspended second game.
The Spartans struck quickly in the first game as sophomore centerfielder Aaron Cain (Hartville, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) led off with a triple and scored on a single by sophomore leftfielder Josh Neal (Gaithersburg, Md. / St. John's College).
The lead grew to 4-0 in the top of the second inning. Sophomore catcher Eric Eldred(Tecumseh, Mich./Tecumseh) and senior first baseman Rob Winemiller (Twinsburg, Ohio/University School) opened the frame with back-to-back singles. After freshman Wade Hopper (Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe) sacrificed the runners up a base, sophomore rightfielder Antonio Damiano (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast) doubled in Eldred and Winemiller. With two outs, Neal delivered another run-scoring single to score Damiano.
After the Blue Streaks cut the lead in half in the bottom of the second, CWRU answered back with a pair of runs in the third. Freshman shortstop Danny Souza (Hollister, Calif./ Palma) hit a two-run double, scoring Eldred and Winemiller, who again put together back-to-back hits, for a 6-2 lead.
With the score 6-4, Eldred and Winemiller started a five-run rally in the fifth inning. Eldred walked and Winemiller doubled to put runners at second and third. Pinch-hitter Daniel Watson (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis Priory School) drove in Eldred, reaching base on an error by the shortstop. Damiano singled in his third run of the game, scoring Winemiller, and Souza moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Watson scored on another error by the shortstop and Neal singled to right field to score Damiano. Aaron Cain, who reached on the second error, scored when senior third baseman reached on a fielder's choice to make it 11-4.
The Blue Streaks charged back with five runs in the eighth inning to cut the lead to two, 11-9, and once more in the ninth for the 11-10 final.
Senior pitcher Kevin Johnstone (Placentia, Calif./Valencia) earned the win, scattering nine hits in six innings. He yielded four runs, three earned, and struck out seven to improved to 2-2 on the season. Senior Dan Sondag (Cary, N.C./Green Hope) pitched the final 1.1 innings, yielding one unearned run, to record his seventh save of the season.
Neal finished 2-for-4 with three runs batted in, Damiano went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three runs batted in, Winemiller went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, and Eldred added two hits and scored three times.
The Spartans fell behind 1-0 in the second game before erupting for five runs in the fifth inning. Eldred singled up the middle, Damiano reached on a bunt single, and Souza singled through the left side to load the bases with one out. Aaron Cain singled in two runs, Neal doubled in Souza to make it 3-1 and Gronski singled in Neal and Cain for a 5-1 lead.
John Carroll scored four times, including two unearned runs on a two-out hit, to tie the game 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning.
CWRU regained the lead in the sixth inning as Winemiller walked with one out, advanced to third on a two-out double by Souza and scored on a wild pitch.
After Sondag retired the Blue Streaks in order in the sixth, the game was suspended due to darkness and will be completed when the teams meet for a doubleheader at Nobby's Park on Apr. 28.