From Case Western Reserve University Athletics

The Case Western Reserve University baseball team completed a perfect 7-0 stretch at the 2018 Spartan Southern Classic with a 3-1 win over Trinity College on Saturday afternoon at Lexington County Baseball Stadium in Lexington, South Carolina.

CWRU has now won eight-straight games to improve to 10-1 on the year, while Trinity dropped to 2-4 with the loss. The Spartans won all three of their matchups against Trinity during the tournament.

Sophomore center fielder Samuel Neal was at the center of the two biggest plays of the game, driving in a pair of runs in the top of the second with a two-out double to left field, and making a diving catch that resulted in a double play in the bottom of the inning. It was one of three double plays turned by the Spartans' defense during the game.

Junior second baseman Rocco Maue hit an inside the park home run in the top of the fifth, rounding the bases on a fly ball that hit off the base of the wall in left center, and extending the CWRU lead to 3-0. It was his fifth home run of the season, all occurring over the last five games.

Sophomore starting pitcher Casey McConihe held the Bantams scoreless through 4.1 innings of work, but left with two on and one out in the bottom of the fifth, giving way to sophomore reliever Scott Kutschke. Kutschke would walk a batter to load the bases, but would induce a ground ball double play to end the threat. 

Kutschke allowed just one unearned run in 3.2 innings of work, as CWRU held a 3-1 advantage heading into the bottom of the ninth. Senior Liam Killingstad allowed just one hit in a scoreless ninth, closing out the game for his third save of the campaign.

Kutschke claimed the win in the game, improving to 2-0 on the year. Neal went three-for-five with the two RBIs and a stolen base to lead the team at the plate.

Trinity starter Erik Mohl allowed all three earned runs to take the loss, dropping to 0-1 on the campaign.

Saturday's game completing a strong week of baseball for the Spartans. In addition to the 7-0 record, the Spartans hit .320 as a team and scored 62 runs, while pitching to a 2.00 earned run average with a .234 opponents' batting average. Maue paced the team's offense, batting .481 with 11 runs scored, a double, six stolen bases, five home runs and 12 RBIs, while sophomore outfielder Noah Mehrle batted .500 (nine-for-18) and Neal added a .407 week (11-for-27) with 11 runs scored.  Killingstad went 1-0 with three saves over four scoreless relief appearances, and junior Mark Gross pitched to an 0.56 ERA with a 2-0 record during a pair of starts.