The Case Western Reserve University baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader against the University of Chicago on Saturday, falling 7-5 in the first contest and 6-1 in the second at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.

With the two losses, the Spartans dropped to 1-2 on the season, while Chicago improved to 2-1.

Game 1 – Chicago 7, CWRU 5
Sophomore designated hitter Jay Smith broke a 4-4 tie with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Chicago responded with three runs in the top of the ninth to come from behind and defeat the Spartans 7-5 in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader.

Sophomore right fielder Nick Harms also hit a solo home run in the game, his first of the season, and finished three-for-five with two doubles, a run, and two RBI. Senior shortstop Trey Haley added a two-for-three performance with a triple and an RBI, as the Spartans outhit Chicago 12-10 in the game.

Sophomore Kyle Gearding started and allowed two earned runs on six hits and a walk in four innings while striking out six batters. Senior Jonathan Simon added two and a third strong innings of relief, allowing just one walk and striking out three batters.

The Spartans struck first in the game, scoring in the top of the first inning with sophomore left fielder Logan Andreyko crossing the plate on a one-out RBI double by Harms. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth when the Maroons struck for four runs, going ahead 4-1.

CWRU evened the score in the bottom of the sixth. Harms led the frame off with a home run over the wall in right field and a one out single by senior second baseman Nick Talarico plated senior catcher Jack Anderson. Later in the inning, Talarico scored on a sacrifice fly by Haley to tie the score at 4-4. The score remained tied until the eighth, when Smith led off the bottom of the inning with the go-ahead home run. However, Chicago was able to take advantage of two errors in the top of the ninth to score three runs, and the Spartans went down in order in the bottom of the frame to end the game.

Junior Tyler Horvath allowed three unearned runs through his two innings of work, suffering the loss to drop to 0-1 on the campaign. Chicago's Hayden Leiderman earned the win to improve to 1-0.

Game 2 – Chicago 6, CWRU 1
For the first time in the series, the Spartans' bats failed to get going, as the team fell 6-1 in the nightcap of the twin bill.

The Spartans collected just four hits in the game after totaling 25 over their first two games of the series. Harms, first-year centerfielder Matt Trout, Talarico, and first-year second baseman Jasiah Harris each had a hit in the game, with Harms notching a double and Trout recording a triple.

After Chicago scored three runs off CWRU junior starter Matthew DuBois in the top of the second, Trout scored the only run of the game for the Spartans in the bottom of the inning, tripling to lead off the frame and crossing the plate on an RBI groundout by Smith. However, Chicago added two more runs in the third and one in the seventh, while holding the Spartans' offense at bay throughout the game.

DuBois suffered the loss to fall to 0-1 on the year. First-year Austin McGowan made his collegiate debut in relief, allowing one earned run in four innings with five strikeouts. First-year Adam Hamilton added two and two thirds scoreless innings of relief to close out the game.

Chicago starter John Butka picked up the win to improve to 1-0.

The Spartans and the Maroons will wrap-up their four-game series tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. at Grand Park.