Case Western Reserve University dealt Wittenberg University its first loss of the campaign, splitting a doubleheader with the Tigers in Springfield, Ohio on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans picked up the win in game one, defeating Wittenberg 9-5, while suffering a 19-6 loss in the second game.

The Spartans stand at 4-4 on the season after the split, while Wittenberg moved to 9-1 on the campaign.

Case Western Reserve smashed three home runs over the two games, and totaled 29 hits over the contests.

Game 1 – CWRU 9, Wittenberg 5
First-year third Zack Carinci and sophomore right fielder Flynn Lenahan each notched their first career home runs, helping to power the Spartans to a 9-5 win in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Tigers.

The Spartans collected a season-high 16 hits in the game, five of which went for extra bases. The two home runs were the first two by a CWRU player this season.

Carinci's home run came in the second inning of the game and gave CWRU an early 1-0 lead. Wittenberg responded in the bottom of the third, taking a 2-1 lead on a two-run home run off the bat of Gage Carpenter. CWRU tied the game on an RBI single from junior center fielder Cole Jarrett in the top of the fifth and took a 4-2 lead on a two-run home run by Lenahan later in the inning.

Wittenberg evened the score with two more runs off CWRU junior starter Nick Denove in the bottom of the fifth, but the CWRU staff would be stingy the rest of the way.

The Spartans would regain the lead for the third and final time in sixth inning on a two-out RBI single from senior left fielder Benjamin Stawicki, scoring sophomore catcher Jack Anderson. In the eighth, senior shortstop Jacob Lott drove in Anderson with a single to put CWRU in front 6-4. The Spartans went on to add three more insurance runs in the top of the ninth on an RBI double from sophomore second baseman Owen Levinson, and a two-RBI double by Anderson.

Denove picked up the win to improve to 2-1 on the year, allowing four runs on seven hits and collecting three strikeouts over five-and-two-thirds innings of work. Senior righty Tony Smodilla allowed just one run in his three-and-a-third innings on the mound, a solo home run in the ninth, to earn his first save of the year.

Lenahan went two-for-five in the game, extending his hitting streak to 12-consecutive contests dating back to last season. Making his season debut, Anderson added a three-for-five performance at the plate, while Jarrett went three-for-six in the opening game of the doubleheader.

Nick Cunningham took the loss in relief for Wittenberg, dropping to 1-1 on the year.

Game 2 – Wittenberg 19, CWRU 6
Wittenberg responded by scoring early and often in the second game, as the Spartans fell 19-6 in the contest.

After falling behind 3-0 early in the game, the Spartans rallied back to tie the contest in the top of the third. Senior first baseman Tre Armstrong and Carinci each had RBI singles in the inning, and Levinson added an RBI on a sacrifice fly to tie the score. However, the Tigers broke the game open with five runs in the bottom of the third to go ahead 8-3, and after another RBI single in the top of the fourth from Armstrong brought the Spartans back within four runs, Wittenberg scored five more in the bottom of the fourth to extend their lead to 13-4.

Lott hit a solo homer run in the fifth, and first-year outfielder Connor Stephenson added an RBI single in the seventh, but it would prove to be too little too late for the Spartans.

Lenahan collected two more hits in the game to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, while Armstrong (two-for-three) and Jarrett (two-for-two, two runs, double, stolen base) each had multiple hit games as well.

The Tigers hit five home runs in the game, including three from designated hitter Jack Hollinshead. Starter Michael Osmond earned the win to improve to 1-0, while CWRU senior starter Matt Levine took the loss, falling to 0-1 on the year.

The two games on Saturday marked the first of six scheduled contests between the Spartans and the Tigers this season. The two squads will face off again next weekend with a home-and-home doubleheader series on Friday and Saturday.

In the meantime, Case Western Reserve will return to Nobby's Ballpark tomorrow (Sunday, March 28) for a doubleheader against Ohio Wesleyan starting at 1:00 p.m. The doubleheader was added to the schedule earlier in the week.