Oberlin, Ohio – Playing in its second doubleheader in as many days, the Oberlin College baseball team couldn't find the formula to contain the Spartans of Case Western Reserve as the Yeomen were swept by the scores of 11-4 and 17-0 on Wednesday afternoon.
With the pair of defeats the Yeomen fell back to 13-16 on the season, while the Spartans improved to 24-12.
In game one, the Yeomen fell behind early as Mike Najmowicz lifted a grand slam over the wall in left in the top of the first.
Oberlin got on the board in the third, as
Quin Butler led off the frame with a double before coming around to score on a single through the left side by
Justin Cruz.
The Spartans would take a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth, but Oberlin would get back to within three in the fifth as first-year
Jake Reynolds led off the inning with a home run over the wall in left for his team-leading third round-tripper of the year.
Case plated a pair in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 7-2 game, but the Yeomen tried to hang around.
Brian Hemmert had an RBI double in the eighth, but the Spartans put the game away for good with a four-spot in the bottom of the inning.
Oberlin would scratch out a run in the ninth as
Nathaniel Wehr led off the inning with a pinch-hit single to keep his season average at a perfect 1.000 as he was 3-for-3 to that point. Wehr would later score on a double-play groundout. In game two his perfect streak would come to an end in the ninth as he went down on strikes to end the game.
Freshman left-hander
David Gaetano (0-2) took the loss as he went 3.2 innings, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks. However, he did settle down nicely after the rocky first inning and finished with four strikeouts.
CWRU sophomore right-hander Jake Shields moved to 7-2 as went eight innings, scattering eight hits and allowing just three runs. He walked two and fanned three.
Both teams finished with nine hits. Hemmert was the lone Yeomen to finish with two in the game.
In the nightcap the Spartans scored 12 runs over the first three innings and never looked back.
John Evans had two hits for the Yeomen in the setback.
Oberlin will look to get back on track this weekend when it returns to NCAC East play in Meadville, Pennsylvania, against the Allegheny College Gators. Game one of the four-game set will get underway on Saturday at noon.
