The Case Western Reserve University baseball team scored 28 runs over 16 innings on Sunday afternoon in Steubenville, Ohio to sweep a doubleheader against Franciscan University. The Spartans picked up an 11-4 win in the opening game of a doubleheader, a nine-inning affair, while topping the Barons 17-6 in seven innings in the second game of the day.

The Spartans have now won four-straight games and improved to 18-8 overall following the two wins, while Franciscan dropped to 14-17 with the two losses.

Senior outfielder Benjamin Stawicki and sophomore second baseman Trey Haley led the way offensively for the Spartans on Sunday. Stawicki went six-for-eight (.750) with three doubles and seven RBIs, raising his batting average to .385 with a team-high 22 runs batted in. Haley went seven-for-11 on the day (.636) with five runs scored, two doubles, a home run and four runs batted in.

Game 1 – Case Western Reserve 11, Franciscan 4
The bottom part of CWRU's lineup provided the pop in the opening game of the doubleheader with Stawicki and Haley combining to go eight-for-10 at the plate in the 11-4 Spartan victory.

Haley turned in a four-for-five performance out of the seven-spot in the order with two doubles, three runs scored and an RBI. Stawicki, who was back in the lineup after a four-game absence due to injury, batted eighth and also went four-for-five with a pair of doubles, while scoring a run and driving in four.

Every CWRU player in the starting lineup had at least one hit, as the Spartans racked up 16 total hits in the contest, including nine extra base hits, all doubles. Senior shortstop Jacob Lott added a pair of doubles, a run scored and an RBI in a two-for-six performance at the plate.

Franciscan jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but Case Western Reserve responded with two runs in the top of the second to take the lead. Sophomore first baseman Nick Talarico led the inning off with a double and stole third. With two outs in the inning, Haley doubled to score Talarico and tie the game at 1-1. One batter later, Stawicki connected on the Spartans' third double of the frame, scoring Haley and giving CWRU a lead.

The Barons would even the score in the bottom of the second, and regain the lead with a two-run bottom of the third. However, CWRU left-handed junior starting pitcher Nick Denove would give his team a chance to come back in the game, holding Franciscan scoreless over his final two innings of work with the help of double plays in both the fourth and fifth innings.

CWRU would take control of the game from that point forward, scoring nine unanswered runs over the final six innings of the game. In the Spartans' half of the fourth, Stawicki drove in his second run of the game with a one-out single, cutting the Franciscan lead to 4-3, and in the fifth, a two-out walk to Talarico followed by a run-scoring double by first-year third baseman Zack Carinci knotted the score at 4-4. CWRU took the lead back in the sixth, following a one-out double by Haley and another RBI single by Stawicki. The Spartans went on to add three more runs in the frame, one on an RBI double by Lott and two more on a single by senior designated hitter Jake Ryan, to go ahead 8-4. Stawicki drove in his fourth run of the game with a two-out double in the seventh, extending the Spartans' lead to five runs. Two more runs scored in CWRU's half of the eighth inning on a two-out error by the Franciscan second baseman, bumping the Spartans' lead to 11-4.

Senior righty Tony Smodilla and sophomore righty Sankalp Doshi each pitched a pair of scoreless innings in relief to help close out the victory. Doshi struck out four batters in his two innings of work.

Denove earned the win in the game, allowing just one earned run among his four total runs allowed over five innings of work, and scattering 10 hits. He improved to 4-2 overall on the season. Franciscan starter Noah Smith dropped to 3-2 with the loss.

Game 2 – Case Western Reserve 17, Franciscan 6 (7 inn.)
Lott, Talarico and Haley each homered in the late game to lead the Spartans' offense, as Case Western Reserve rolled to a 17-6 win in the second game of the doubleheader.

Hitting in the leadoff spot in the second game, Haley went three-for-six with two runs scored and three RBIs, while Talarico added a two-for-two showing in the second game with four runs scored, two walks, three RBIs and a home run. Stawicki went two-for-three with three RBIs and a walk, and sophomore catcher Jack Anderson drove in three runs with a two-for-five performance.

CWRU jumped out to a quick lead in the second game with a three-run top of the first inning. With one out, Lott hit a solo home run over the wall in left field, his third of the season, to put the Spartans ahead. Talarico and Carinci drew back-to-back two out walks, and Stawicki's big day at the plate continued, as he doubled to extend the Spartans' lead to 3-0. After Franciscan scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first off CWRU senior starter Matt Levine, Haley followed a one-out triple by junior outfielder Cole Jarrett with a base hit, driving in Jarrett and putting the Spartans in front 4-1. With two outs in the inning, Talarico connected on a three-run home run to centerfield, his team-leading fourth of the campaign, to increase the Spartan advantage to 7-1.

Franciscan scored a run in the bottom of the third to cut the Spartans' lead to five runs, but CWRU got the run back in the top of the fourth on a two-out bases loaded walk to sophomore outfielder Flynn Lenahan, and added two more on a bases-loaded single by Anderson to go ahead 10-2.

CWRU broke the game open further with a seven-run top of the fifth. Stawicki drove in the first run of the frame with a base hit, and Lenahan followed with a run-scoring fielder's choice. Anderson then doubled to plate the third run of the inning, putting the Spartans ahead 13-2, and a two-run single by sophomore outfielder Kevin Mackenzie made it a 15-2 Spartan lead. Haley capped off the inning with a two-run home run, his first of the year, giving CWRU a 15-run advantage.

Levine pitched five innings, allowing just one earned run and three total runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out three batters. He earned the win to improve to 2-2 on the campaign. First-year Michael Shinohara added a perfect sixth inning in relief.

Franciscan's Daniel Halsey suffered the loss to drop to 2-1 for the season.

The Spartans will be back on the road on Wednesday, May 5, when the team travels to Delaware, Ohio for a doubleheader against Ohio Wesleyan University, completing their six-game season series with the Bishops. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.