The Case Western Reserve University baseball team opened its Spring Break trip on Sunday by dropping a pair of close games at Salem Memorial Ballpark in Salem, Virginia. CWRU lost to North Carolina Wesleyan 7-5 in the early game and fell to host Roanoke 9-8 in the later game.

The Spartans drop to 3-2 on the season while the Battling Bishops improve to 7-5 and the Maroons improve to 4-4.

Senior center fielder Cole Jarrett went five-for-nine in the two games with three runs scored and two runs batted in. Sophomore third baseman/pitcher Zack Carinci went three-for-five in the first game and drew two walks in the nightcap. The Spartans strung together 22 hits across the two contests.

N.C. Wesleyan 7, CWRU 5

CWRU struck first in the morning game, plating two runs in the second inning. With the bases loaded, junior outfielder Flynn Lenahan drove in a run with a ground out to the pitcher to get the Spartans on the board. With Carinci at the plate, Jarrett scored on a wild pitch to double the team's advantage.

In the top of the next frame, the Battling Bishops responded with three runs to take the lead. After the first run scored on a wild pitch, a pair of run-scoring singles put N.C. Wesleyan ahead 3-2. CWRU tied the score in the bottom half of the inning when junior outfielder Kevin Mackenzie hit a grounder to the third baseman with runners on first and second. The N.C. Wesleyan fielder tried to start a double play, but graduate student designated hitter Tre Armstrong scored on an errant throw from the second baseman.

The Battling Bishops reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning with a run-scoring single. However, Case Western Reserve tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning on a single from junior second baseman Trey Haley that scored junior first baseman Nick Talarico.

First-year reliever Kyle Gearding kept N.C. Wesleyan off the board in the sixth and seventh innings, but the Battling Bishops scored two runs on an error to take a 6-4 lead in the eighth inning.

Mackenzie drew a two-out bases loaded walk to bring the Spartans within one in the bottom of the inning. A sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth gave N.C. Wesleyan a 7-5 advantage, and CWRU could not rally in the bottom half, losing its first game of the season.

Gearding (0-1) took the loss, throwing four innings and striking out three while allowing just one earned run. Cullen Davis (1-0) earned the win in relief, allowing one run on three hits in three innings.

Roanoke 9, CWRU 8

The Maroons opened up a 4-0 lead after just two innings on a pair of run-scoring singles and a two-run triple. The Spartans, who had been hitless through three innings, responded with a four-run fourth inning. Lenahan delivered a two-run double, Mackenzie followed with a run-scoring groundout, and graduate student shortstop Jacob Lott tied the game with a run-scoring single.

In the fifth inning, after junior catcher Jack Anderson stole second base, Jarrett drove him in with a single to give CWRU a 5-4 lead. However, Roanoke responded in the bottom half of the inning with a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. The Maroons added two more on an untimely Spartan error to build a 7-5 lead.

After sophomore relief pitcher Tyler Horvath escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth inning, CWRU reclaimed the lead with a three-run seventh inning. A one-out double from Talarico brought the Spartans within one, and a run-scoring single from Mackenzie evened the score at seven. With Lott at the plate, Talarico scored on a wild pitch to give Case Western Reserve the edge. However, a two-out double in the bottom of the ninth tied the score, and the Maroons walked off the Spartans one batter later on a run-scoring single.  

Carinci (0-1), who came on to record the last out of the seventh inning and finished the game for CWRU, took the loss, while Gardner Meeks (1-0) earned his first win of the season in relief.

The Spartans will stay in Virginia and face Roanoke on Monday at 11:00 a.m. at Salem Memorial Ballpark.