In a back-and-forth contest in Wooster, Ohio on Wednesday afternoon, a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh by the College of Wooster proved to be the difference, as the Case Western Reserve University baseball team suffered an 8-6 setback to the Fighting Scots.

The loss dropped the Spartans to 15-14 overall on the season, while Wooster improved to 14-8 following the win.

A solo home run by CWRU first-year outfielder Nick Harms in the top of the seventh, his team-leading fourth of the season, broke a 5-5 tie, and put the Spartans ahead by a run. However, Wooster answered back in the bottom of the inning with Michael Thomas' three-run home run, which proved to be the difference maker in the game.

Wooster jumped out to the early lead in the game with a run in each of the first and second innings. Junior catcher Jack Anderson led the top of the third off with a walk, stole second, moved to third on a balk, and scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore third baseman Zack Carinci. Later in the inning, an error with runners on second and third and one out allowed Harms to score the game-tying run, and the next batter, junior outfielder Flynn Lenahan, singled to plate two more runs and put the Spartans ahead 4-2.

The Scots scored again in the bottom of the third to pull back within a run, but CWRU went ahead 5-3 on Carinci's second sacrifice fly in as many innings in the top of the fourth. Wooster once again responded, tying the game in the bottom of the frame with a two-run home run, and the score remained tied until the two home runs in the seventh that proved to be the decisive strikes.

The Spartans outhit Wooster 11-7 in the game, including two-hit games for junior first baseman Nick Talarico, Lenahan, and senior outfielder Cole Jarrett. Seven CWRU pitchers combined to strike out 11 batters in the game.

Sophomore Tyler Horvath allowed the three-run home run in the seventh, and despite allowing just two hits and a walk with four strikeouts over two and two-thirds innings in relief, suffered his first loss of the season to drop to 0-1 for the campaign. Dylan Carr earned the win in relief for Wooster, improving to 2-2, while Christian Johnston picked up his second save of the year.

CWRU will return to Nobby's Ballpark this weekend to begin a stretch of eighth-straight conference home games. The Spartans will open a four-game series with New York University (16-6) on Friday, April 15 at 3:00 p.m.