Box Score Case Western Reserve University's bats pounded out 15 runs on 16 hits to help lift the team to its sixth-consecutive victory, defeating the University of Rochester 15-5 at the Spartan Southern Classic at Lexington County Baseball Stadium in Lexington, South Carolina on Thursday afternoon.
The Spartans now stand at 8-1 overall, including a 5-0 record at the Spartan Southern Classic. Rochester suffered its fourth-straight loss to open the season, dropping to 0-4.
Junior left-handed pitcher Corey Brown made his first start of the 2018 season, and allowed just three runs on eight hits and a walk over seven innings of work, while striking out three batters. Brown improved to 2-0 on the year with a 2.25 earned run average.
Rochester struck first in the game with two runs in the top of the first inning, but the Spartans answered back in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by sophomore right fielder Noah Mehrle, and evening the score when senior left fielder Nate Glasser crossed the plate on a throwing error by the Yellowjackets' catcher.
Rochester regained the lead with a run in the top of the fourth, but Brown was able to strand runners at second and third in the inning. The score remained 3-2 until the bottom of the fifth, when the Spartans exploded for an eight-run frame, sending 13 total batters to the plate during the frame. Every Spartan in the lineup reached base in the inning, including eight via base hits. CWRU tied the game when Mehrle, who led the inning off with a base hit, scored from third on a double play. With two outs in the innings, a hit batter and a walk put two on base for junior third baseman Jacob Kucia, who drove in a run with a ground rule double, putting the Spartans ahead for the first time in the game. Junior catcher Tyler Wypiszenski drove in two more with a double to give CWRU a 6-3 lead, while RBI singles for Glasser and freshman designated hitter Jake Ryan expanded the lead to 8-3. Freshman shortstop Jacob Lott capped off the inning with a two-run double, pushing the CWRU advantage to 10-3.
Sophomore center fielder Samuel Neal added a two-run double in the seventh to extend the lead to 12-3. Rochester answered back with two runs off CWRU sophomore reliever Matthew Speitel in the eighth, but a two-RBI triple by Ryan and a sacrifice fly for Mehrle added three runs onto the CWRU side of the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth. Freshman Michael Pedota retired the Rochester side in order in the ninth to lock up the win.
Mehrle finished the game three-for-four with two runs, two RBIs and a stolen base, while Glasser and sophomore first baseman Casey McConihe each added three-hit games as well for CWRU. Ryan came off the bench in the game to go two-for-three with three RBIs and two runs scored, including a triple.
Rochester starter Jack Denzer took the loss for the Yellowjackets on Thursday, dropping to 0-1 on the year.
Case Western Reserve will resume play at the Spartan Southern Classic with their penultimate game of the week-long tournament on Friday, March 16th against Trinity College (Conn.) at 7:00 p.m.
