The Emory University baseball team and Case Western Reserve University opened a pivotal UAA series with a doubleheader split on Friday at Chappell Park in Atlanta, GA.
The Spartans rode solid pitching performances by Matt Levine and Scott Kutschke to win the opener, 4-1, before the Eagles' offense tallied eight runs on 14 hits in the second game as Emory evened the series with an 8-7 victory.
Game 1 – CWRU 4, Emory 1
Levine tossed 5.1 innings of one-run ball with Kutschke allowing just one hit in 3.2 scoreless relief frames as CWRU silenced the Emory bats in game one.
The Spartans scored single runs in four different innings and held Emory to just five hits in the contest. Junior Ryan Adelman collected two of the team's five knocks and drove in the lone run with a double to plate freshman Zeke Diamond.
Senior Eric Terry added two hits with sophomore Michael Edelman contributing a single in the defeat.
Junior James Robertson fell to 1-3 as he allowed three runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings. Senior Brian Taggett pitched well in relief, allowing a solo home run in 3.2 innings of work and was able to escape a bases-loaded, one out situation when he entered the game in the sixth inning.
Game 2 – Emory 8, CWRU 7
After being held to just one run through the first 14 innings on Friday, the Emory offense awoken with eight runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings in the second game to defeat CWRU, 8-7.
The Spartans' Nick Denove held the Eagles scoreless through the first five innings before Emory erased a 2-0 deficit with a three spot in the sixth frame. Senior Bubby Terp brought home Adelman with a single to right before Diamond followed with a sac fly to plate junior Jacob Greene. Senior Thomas Baumgartner had the go-ahead RBI with a groundout that scored Terp from third.
Following a Case Western Reserve run in the top of the seventh, the Eagles answered with four in the bottom of the inning with Diamond and junior Richard Brereton notching RBI singles in the frame.
The lead was short lived as CWRU netted four of its own in the eighth with Benjamin Stawicki collecting the big base hit, a pinch-hit bases clearing double down the left field line, to tie the score of 7-7.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Eagles took advantage of a defensive miscue on a play at third base on a fielder's choice by senior Jackson Grayson, allowing sophomore Jacob Singer to score the eventual winning run.
Freshman Jack Brodsky sent down the Spartans batters 1-2-3 in the ninth to record his team-leading fifth win of the season. He tossed 1.1 perfect innings to go along with two strikeouts. Brereton was handed the no decision as he worked into the seventh, spinning 6.2 and allowing three runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out four.
The series concludes on Saturday with another doubleheader beginning at 12:00 PM. Prior to the first pitch of game one, Emory will honor its nine-member senior class of Thomas Baumgartner, Sam Brzowski, Alec Granger, Jackson Grayson, NJ Kim, Brian Taggett, Bubby Terp, Eric Terry and Michael Wilson with a special on-field ceremony beginning at 11:30 AM EST. If you cannot make it to Chappell Park, the event as well as both games will be live streamed on emoryathletics.com.