The Case Western Reserve University baseball team, ranked 17th in Division III, came back from a seven-run deficit after four and a half innings to win 10-9 over Baldwin Wallace University on a walk-off single by senior left fielder Jay Smith with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning at Nobby's Ballpark in Cleveland on Tuesday afternoon.

The Spartans have now won four games in a row and improved to 26-12-1 overall, while the Yellow Jackets dropped to 23-13.

CWRU trailed by as many as seven runs in the game and were down 9-7 heading into the ninth. Baldwin Wallace pitcher Patrick Straub retired the first two batters of the inning, but graduate student designated hitter Dane Camphausen singled to short to start the Spartans' rally. He was pinch run for by junior Jasiah Harris, who moved to second on defensive indifference, to third on a balk, and scored on a passed ball. Sophomore first baseman Tyler Stillson and graduate student second baseman Franco Alonso were each hit by a pitch on a 3-2 count, and then a double steal put the game-tying run on third and the winning run at second. Graduate student third baseman Zack Carinci followed with a hard ground ball that the Baldwin Wallace third baseman dove on but could not field cleanly, allowing the game-tying run to cross the plate.

After junior center fielder Matt Trout drew a walk on four pitches to load the bases, Smith came to the plate and lined the first pitch of his at-bat over the head of the second baseman and into right field, scoring Alonso from third and delivering the win for the Spartans.

In a game that was tight early, a solo home run in the top of the second gave the Yellow Jackets the lead but the Spartans evened the score in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with nobody out and scoring a run on an RBI groundout by Smith. The Yellow Jackets regained the lead with another solo home run in the third, but Camphausen connected for his 16th home run of the season in the bottom of the third to tie the score again.

The Yellow Jackets took control of the game in the fourth inning, sending nine batters to the plate and scoring six runs, and added another run in the fifth to take a 9-2 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, senior right fielder Nick Harms and Camphausen hit back-to-back two-out solo home runs to get the Spartans back within five runs, and Alonso doubled to begin the sixth and later scored on a double steal attempt to cut the Baldwin Wallace advantage to 9-5. CWRU added two more runs in the seventh, scoring on an RBI double from Stillson and a sacrifice fly by Alonso to pull back within two runs.

First-year right-handed pitcher Oliver Miller held the Yellow Jackets scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings, and first-year southpaws Anton Sabo and Jeff Radinsky each followed with scoreless innings to keep the Spartans in the game. Radinsky, who pitched the ninth, earned the first win of his collegiate career in the game, improving to 1-0.

Camphausen finished the game three-for-four at the plate with three runs, two RBIs, a walk, and two home runs, and now has 17 home runs this season. Harms added a two-for-five day with his 11th home run of the season and a double with a run and an  RBI. Alsonso went two-for-three with three runs, an RBI, and two stolen bases, and Carinci was three-for-five with a double, an RBI, and a stolen base.

CWRU finished the game with 13 total hits, including seven extra-base hits.

Straub suffered the loss for the Yellow Jackets, falling to 2-4 on the season.

The Spartans are scheduled to wrap up their 2025 regular season on Sunday, May 4 at noon against John Carroll University at Nobby's Ballpark.

Spartan Notes

• CWRU stole five more bases on Tuesday and the team's 98 stolen bases this season broke the previous school record of 96, set during the 2016 campaign. CWRU has now been successful on its last 39 stolen base attempts over the team's last nine contests.

• Camphausen's 17 home runs are not only a school single-season record but also rank third among all Division III players this season. His 61 career home runs are the most among active Division III players and fourth among NCAA players across all three Divisions. He has now hit two home runs in three straight games and has five multiple home run games this season.

• This was the Spartans' second win of the season against Baldwin Wallace after beating the Yellow Jackets 8-3 in Lexington, South Carolina on March 9. CWRU has now won seven of the last eight meetings between the two teams. Harms' home run was his third of the season against the Yellow Jackets and his 11th overall, matching his career-high set in each of the last two seasons.

• The Spartans entered the game as the 11th-ranked team in the NCAA NPI, while Baldwin Wallace was ranked 63rd.