From Case Western Reserve University
The Case Western Reserve University baseball team swept a doubleheader against Washington and Jefferson College on Thursday afternoon in Washington, Pennsylvania, as the Spartans topped the Presidents 5-3 in the first game, and followed with a 7-5 win in the second contest.
With the two wins, the Spartans improved to 18-12 overall on the season, while Washington and Jefferson fell to 12-10 for the year.
Freshman first baseman Mike Najmowicz and sophomore designated hitter Daniel Watson each had four hits during the two games, while junior center fielder Aaron Cain and junior right fielder Tony Damiano each drove in three runs.
Game 1: CWRU 5, Washington & Jefferson 3
Case Western Reserve junior Jake Shields threw the third complete game of his career, and freshman shortstop Rocco Maue hit his first career home runs, helping lead the Spartans past the Presidents 5-3 in the first game of the day.
The Spartans never trailed in the game, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after junior Cain led the game off with a double, and scored on an RBI groundout from Damiano. The Presidents tied the game win the bottom of the second, but Shields after that point, Shields would hold Washington and Jefferson off the board until the bottom of the ninth.
Meanwhile, Case Western Reserve would put four unanswered runs on the board, breaking a 1-1 tie in the top of the sixth after Najmowicz tripled with one out, and scored a batter later on an RBI groundout by Cain. In his next at bat in the eighth inning, Cain tripled to score Eldred and Najmowicz, and Maue hit a two-out solo home run in the ninth to extend the lead to 5-1.
A two-run home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth by Washington and Jefferson's Ryan Sciullo trimmed the lead to 5-3, but Shields would record the final two outs to pick up the second complete-game win by a Spartan of the season, both of which have come in the last three games.
Shields allowed just seven hits and walked one, while striking out three batters, and needed to throw just 97 pitches in the win. He picked up his team-leading and career-high matching sixth win of the season, improving to 6-2 for the campaign with a 3.88 earned run average.
Cain finished the game two-for-three and accounted for four of the team's five runs with three RBIs and a run scored, collecting a double and triple in the game. Najmowicz added a two-for-three game at the plate with a triple and a pair of runs scored.
Nick Kolat suffered the loss for Washington and Jefferson, falling to 1-1 on the year.
Game 2: CWRU 7, Washington & Jefferson 5
CWRU got off to another quick start in the second game, with Cain walking to start the game, and scoring on a triple by junior left fielder Josh Neal a batter later. Neal would come across the plate on an RBI groundout by Damiano, giving the Spartans a 2-0 lead. Damiano would drive in his second run of the game in the third inning, singling to left field to score Cain.
Washington and Jefferson would tie the game with three runs off CWRU freshman starter Ben Chapman in the bottom of the third, and take the lead in the fourth on a two-run home run by Nick Vento off sophomore reliever Liam Killingstad. However, Case Western Reserve would even the score again with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, after Waston hit a solo home run to lead off the inning, his team-leading fourth of the season, and Najmowicz hit a two-out triple to plate junior catcher Eric Eldred, and tie the score at 5-5.
The game remained until the top of the eighth, when singles from Watson and Eldred put runners on the corners with one out. With freshman Jacob Kucia at the plate, the Presidents' James Trainor threw a wild pitch that scored Watson, and gave CWRU a 6-5 advantage. The Spartans added a run in the ninth on a throwing error that allowed Cain to score from third.
Killingstad would remain in the game and close out the win for Case Western Reserve, picking up the victory in the game to improve to 1-1 on the year. The southpaw pitched a career-high six innings, allowing just two runs on four hits, while not issuing a walk and striking out four batters.
Watson finished the game three-for-four with two runs scored and an RBI, coming on the home run. Damiano added a pair of RBIs in the game, going one-for-five, and Najmowicz was two-for-three with a double and a triple.
Reliever James Trainor took the loss for the Presidents, falling to 0-1 for the campaign.