The Case Western Reserve University baseball team split a University Athletic Association doubleheader with Brandeis University on Saturday at Nobby's Ballpark in Cleveland, Ohio, taking the first game 7-2 but falling 2-1 in the second game.

The Spartans are 11-11 on the season and 5-2 in conference play, while the Judges are 10-4 overall and 1-2 in the UAA. Case Western Reserve is in first place in the conference standings, holding a one game lead over New York University.

Graduate student starting pitcher Evan Faxon turned in his third double-digit strikeout performance of the season in the first game, registering 10 strikeouts while allowing just one run on four hits in six innings. Senior outfielder Cole Jarrett had a pair of two-for-four games at the plate, scoring once in each contest.

Game 1: CWRU 7, Brandeis 2

After Faxon recorded three strikeouts in the first two innings, CWRU struck for three runs in the bottom of the second frame. With runners on first and second and no outs, junior second baseman Trey Haley stroked a single to right field to put the Spartans on the board. Jarrett then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of graduate student shortstop Jacob Lott to give the hosts a 2-0 edge. Haley later scored on a double from sophomore third baseman Zack Carinci, his first of two in the game, to make the score 3-0.

In the fourth inning, the Judges loaded the bases with two outs on a pair of singles and an error. Faxon struck out the next batter to retire the side and record his third of the inning, keeping Brandeis off the board. The Spartan offense carried the momentum into the bottom half of the inning, adding two runs to make the score 5-0. Junior catcher Jack Anderson doubled to deep right center field to score Lott, and he later scored on a single from Carinci.

After Brandeis finally put a run on the board in the sixth inning, breaking a streak of 18 consecutive scoreless Spartan innings, CWRU added two more runs on a triple from Anderson and a double by Carinci. Anderson finished the game four-for-five with two extra-base hits, two runs scored, two runs driven in, and a stolen base. It was the second four-hit game of his career, after he went four-for-six against Denison earlier this season. Carinci went three-for-four with three runs batted in, his third three-hit game of the season and second three-RBI performance this year.

Faxon (4-0) remained unbeaten in his six starts and increased his season strikeout total to 44. Junior pitcher Sankalp Doshi earned his second career save by pitching three innings while only allowing one run on one hit with three strikeouts.  

Game 2: Brandeis 2, CWRU 1

The Judges scored their only runs of the game in the third inning, crossing the plate twice against senior pitcher Nick Denove with a sacrifice fly and a single. After escaping the inning with a double play, Denove kept Brandeis off the board in the fourth and fifth innings. Case Western Reserve scored a run in the bottom of the fifth, sparked by a lead-off bunt single from Jarrett, who advanced to second on a throwing error. After reaching third on a groundout, he scored on a single from Lott to cut the Spartan deficit in half.

The visitors' best chance to extend their lead came in the seventh inning, when a leadoff double and a sacrifice bunt put a runner at third with one out. Denove forced a grounder to Lott who threw home, starting a rundown to keep Brandeis off the board in the frame. After six and two-thirds innings, Denove gave way to sophomore pitcher Andrew Allen who finished the inning with a strikeout. Sophomore pitchers Tyler Horvath and Matthew DuBois each pitched a scoreless inning to keep the Spartans within striking distance heading into the bottom of the ninth inning.

First-year outfielder Nick Harms and junior first baseman Nick Talarico each collected one-out hits in the last frame to put the tying and winning runs in scoring position. Brandeis then intentionally walked junior first baseman RJ Christie to load the bases. With the pressure mounting, starting pitcher Asher Kaplan induced a pop up and a groundout to quell the Spartan rally and seal a Brandeis victory.

Kaplan (1-0) pitched a complete game and allowed just one unearned run with two strikeouts. Denove (0-3) took the hard-luck loss, allowing two runs on six hits with two strikeouts. With two hits in the game, Jarrett recorded his fifth multi-hit contest of the season.

The Spartans and Judges will conclude their four-game series on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. at Nobby's Ballpark.