Case Western Reserve University junior right fielder Nick Harms connected on the 23rd home run of his career to become the program's all-time leader and the Spartans split a pair of games on the final day of their Spring Break trip in Lexington, South Carolina, falling to Ithaca 9-4 in the first game and defeating Oswego State 19-1 in the late game.
The Spartans completed a 4-3 week in Lexington and now stand at 9-5 overall for the season.
Game 1 - Ithaca 9, CWRU 4
CWRU could not overcome a five-run first inning from Ithaca, falling 9-4 in the team's first game of the day.
The Spartans fell behind early as the Bombers struck for five runs (three earned) in the first inning against CWRU left-handed starter Reece Marley, but Marley settled in from there, allowing just one more run in his four and two-thirds inning outing.
CWRU climbed back into the game with a two-run third inning. Graduate student left fielder Franco Alonso led the inning off with a double and scored when first-year designated hitter Tyler Stillson singled on the next pitch. Later in the inning, Stillson scored a run of his own on an RBI single from junior center fielder Logan Andreyko to cut the Ithaca lead to 5-2.
The Spartans cut into the lead further with an RBI single from senior Zack Carinci in the fourth, but Ithaca added back a run in the bottom of the inning to go ahead 6-3. The Bombers threatened again in the fifth, loading the bases with two outs against Marley, but senior right-handed pitcher Tyler Horvath came out of the bullpen and induced a pop out to end the frame without any runs crossing the plate.
CWRU pulled closer with a run in the top of the seventh when Stillson scored on an RBI groundout by first-year shortstop Nate Arterburn to cut the lead to 6-4. However, a storm moved into the area in the bottom of the inning, leading to a two-hour and 38-minute rain delay. When action resumed, Ithaca added on a run in the seventh and two in the eighth to pull away late for the win.
Andreyko finished the game two-for-five with an RBI, while Stillson added a two-for-four showing with two runs and an RBI.
Ithaca's Jack Colyer earned the win, improving to 2-0 on the season. Marley suffered the loss, dropping to 1-2 for the campaign.
Game 2 - CWRU 19, Oswego State 1
The Spartans recorded season highs with 19 runs and 19 hits, including a three-run home run by Harms to set a new program career record for home runs, as the Spartans rolled to a 19-1 win over Oswego State in the late game.
CWRU sent 15 batters to the plate in a 12-run fifth inning and sent another 10 batters to the plate in a six-run seventh inning to account for most of the team's scoring in the game.
Junior right-handed pitcher Jackson Brewer started and allowed just one run in four innings of work, giving up four hits and walking a pair while striking out four. He earned the win in the game, improving to 2-0 on the year while lowering his ERA to 4.11 for the season.
Oswego scored a run in the third to take the lead, but Arterburn tied the game in the fifth, leading the inning off with a base hit, advancing to second on a wild pitch, and scoring on a double by Andreyko. Andreyko scored two batters later on a single by graduate student third baseman James Powers, giving CWRU a 2-1 lead. The Spartans went on to add 10 more runs in the inning, including two on a single by Powers with the bases loaded and three on Harms' record-setting home run.
Highlights from the six-run seventh inning included a pair of hits from Arterburn, including a two-RBI single with two outs in the frame. CWRU added on one more in the eighth on a leadoff home run by Anderson.
First-year Zach Barnes pitched three scoreless innings of relief, giving up just two hits and striking out three, while junior Kyle Gearding pitched two perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts to close out the contest.
Powers finished the game four-for-five with three runs and four RBIs. Anderson added a four-for-six game with four runs, two RBIs, a double, and a home run. Arterburn went three-for-four in the game with three runs and two RBIs and Stillson went three-for-four with a run and two RBIs.
Oswego State's Jonah Shearer suffered the loss, dropping to 0-2 for the season.
Friday's games concluded the Spartans' 2024 Spring Break trip. CWRU will now return to Cleveland to begin a five-game home stand starting on Monday afternoon against Grove City College. The first pitch from Nobby's Ballpark is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
