The 23rd-ranked Case Western Reserve University baseball team opened play at the Spartan Southern Classic in Lexington, South Carolina with a 9-5 loss to Swarthmore College on Saturday afternoon.

The loss was the second-straight setback for the Spartans who fell to 3-4 on the season while Swarthmore improved to 5-4 for the campaign following the victory.

CWRU's bullpen was stellar in the game, holding Swarthmore scoreless on three hits over the final six innings, and the Spartans outhit the Garnet 12-10. However, a costly first two innings in which the Spartans allowed nine runs, five of which were unearned and seven with two outs in the frame, proved to be the difference maker on Saturday.

The Spartans jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a leadoff single by graduate student catcher Jack Anderson, who moved to third on a base hit by graduate student first baseman Dane Camphausen and scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly from sophomore third baseman Tyler Stillson. However, Swarthmore responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning and added four more in the second to go ahead 9-1.

The CWRU bullpen kept the Spartans in the game as senior right-handed pitcher Jackson Brewer scattered three hits and three walks over three and two-thirds scoreless innings, followed by two perfect innings with four strikeouts from first-year righty Eric Colgrove and a hitless frame with a walk and a strikeout from junior righty Austin McGowan.

In the top of the sixth, an RBI triple from senior right fielder Nick Harms, followed by an RBI double from graduate student second baseman Franco Alonso, made it 9-3. In the eighth, a pinch-hit RBI groundout by sophomore Carson Walker plated Alonso and made it 9-4. In the ninth, CWRU loaded the bases with two outs and scored a run on a four-pitch walk to Walker, bringing the potential game-tying run to the plate in junior center fielder Matt Trout, but he struck out to end the CWRU threat and the game.

Alonso finished the game two-for-four with two doubles, a run, and an RBI. Camphausen, Harms, and senior designated hitter Jay Smith each had two hits on Saturday as well.

Senior starter Kyle Gearding suffered the loss on Saturday dropping to 0-2 for the campaign. Swarthmore's Noah Potholm went seven innings and allowed three runs in the win, improving to 2-1 for the campaign.

The Spartans will be back in action at the Spartan Southern Classic on Sunday against 16th-ranked Baldwin Wallace. The first pitch of the game has been pushed back an hour from its original scheduled time to 11:00 a.m. 

Spartan Notes

• CWRU fell to 1-2 all-time against Swarthmore with the loss.

• Franco and Camphausen lead all Spartan players this season with four multiple-hit games apiece.

• Anderson has hit safely in all seven of the team's games this season and has a 20-game hitting streak dating back to last season. Camphausen has reached safely in 41 consecutive games dating back to last year, while Andreyko has reached base in 32 straight games.