From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
The Case Western Reserve University offense exploded for 40 runs over two games against Brandeis University on Friday at Stein Diamond in Waltham, Massachusetts, including setting a program record for runs scored in a game in a 27-2 win in the first game of the doubleheader against the Judges. The Spartans followed that with a 13-2 win in the second contest of the twin bill. Both games were decided in seven innings due to the run rule.
The Spartans have now won six straight games and 10 of their last 11 to improve to 20-12 overall on the season, including a 9-5 record in University Athletic Association games. Brandeis fell to 5-25 overall and to 1-13 in the conference.
Several Spartans turned in solid performances on Friday, including sophomore outfielder Nick Harms, who homered in each game of the doubleheader and now has a team-leading eight for the campaign. He now has 17 career home runs and is one shy of matching Tim Greer (1998-01) and Rocco Maue (2016-19) for the fourth-most home runs over a career by a CWRU player.
Senior catcher Jack Anderson had seven hits over the two games, including his 19th double of the season in the second contest, matching the program record for doubles in a year set by Sam Alexander in 2011. Junior third baseman Zack Carinci hit safely in both games to extend his hitting streak to 23 games. Senior outfielder Trey Haley scored five runs in the first game, matching the program's single-game record and becoming the seventh player in program history to accomplish the feat.
Game 1 – CWRU 27, Brandeis 2 (7 inn.)
The Spartans broke a 13-year-old team record for runs in a game, routing the Judges 27-2 in the opening game of Friday's doubleheader.
CWRU took control of the game from the start, as the first five batters of the game all notched hits for the Spartans. CWRU batted around in each of the first two innings, scoring five in each frame and taking an early 10-0 advantage. The Spartans added two more runs in the fourth and then sent 20 batters to the plate en route to scoring 15 runs during the frame and taking a 27-0 lead over Brandeis. The Judges scored their only two runs of the game in the sixth inning, but it was not enough for the Judges to avoid the run rule.
Junior left-handed pitcher Reece Marley was masterful on the mound, allowing just one hit over five innings and striking out nine batters. He did not issue a walk in the contest and earned the win, improving to 5-2 for the season. First-year Ryan Castrillon allowed two runs in an inning of work and junior Matthew DuBois closed the game out with a perfect seventh, striking out a pair of batters.
As a team, the Spartans collected 21 hits and drew nine walks. Harms went three-for-four with four runs, six RBIs, a double, and a three-run home run as a part of the 15-run fifth inning. Sophomore outfielder Logan Andreyko added a career-best five RBIs, going one-for-three with a double. Anderson, first-year second baseman Jasiah Harris, and Carinci each went four-for-six in the game, while Haley added a three-for-five showing with a double, five runs scored, and three runs batted in.
Brandeis starter Sean Decker-Jacoby suffered the loss, falling to 0-5 on the season.
Game 2 – CWRU 13, Brandeis 2 (7 inn.)
CWRU's offense continued to roll in the second game of the doubleheader as the Spartans topped the Judges 13-2 in seven innings in the late affair.
Sophomore first baseman Jay Smith went two-for-four with a career-best four runs batted in and a double. Anderson added a three-for-four showing at the play with a double, a run, and a stolen base. Senior RJ Christie and first-year outfielder Matt Trout each had two hits, a double, and two runs batted in, while Harris went one-for-four with a double and two RBIs. Haley added three runs scored in the game, bringing his total to eight for the day.
CWRU once again started quickly with four runs in the first inning. Anderson led the game off with a single and scored on a double by Harris a batter later to take a 1-0 lead. Trout added a two-run double later in the inning and Smith followed with a single to score Trout.
The Spartans went on to add a run in the third and four more in the fifth to go ahead 9-0. Brandeis scored two in the bottom of the fifth, but the Spartans added three in the sixth and one in the seventh to go in front 13-2.
Graduate student Evan Faxon started and went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out eight batters. He won his third-straight start to improve to 3-3 for the season. Senior Jonathan Simon allowed one hit in a scoreless sixth inning and junior Tyler Horvath pitched a perfect seventh with a pair of strikeouts to lock down the win.
Brandeis' Asher Kaplan suffered the loss, falling to 3-4 on the season.