Tom Hickey became John Carroll's first player to drive in eight runs in a single baseball contest
On a night when several offensive school records fell, it still took a ninth inning rally and a red-hot closer to put the cap on a Blue Streak baseball victory.
John Carroll needed 21 hits and four hours to subdue neighborhhod rival Notre Dame College, 22-20, at Paul Serra Field in Euclid, Ohio.
Box Score
JCU survived a night in which it surrendered a school-record tying six home runs by being relentless in its own right.
Trailing 20-17 entering the top of the ninth, Brian Benander (Richmond Heights, OH, Cleveland St. Ignatius) got the rally going with a one-out infield single. After Ryan Pacyga (Forest Park, IL, Nazareth Academy) drew a walk and Joe Veltri (Rochester Mills, MI, Notre Dame Preparatory) was hit by a pitch, Tom Hickey (Orland Park, IL, Brother Rice) stepped up to the plate and into the record books when he delivered a bases loaded double to drive in his seventh and eighth runs of the night.
Despite being the first player in program history to collect eight RBI in a single game, JCU still trailed 20-19 until Ryan Konsler (Lake Forest, Lake Forest) doubled home two more runs in the very next at bat. John Hastings (Pittsburgh, PA, Fox Chapel) added an insurance run with a two out single to score Konsler.
Reigning Ohio Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week Michael Eden (Aurora, OH, Aurora) came on and lived up to the advance billing, striking out all three batters he faced for his first save of 2010.
Hickey, who also tied a single-game school record with two home runs, was 4-6 with three runs scored and eight RBI. Benander also had a stellar night, as he was 4-5 with one home run, three runs scored and six RBI. Also hitting a home run for JCU was Aaron Miller (Burton, Berkshire).
John Moeschberger (Solon, OH, Solon), who came in with his team trailing 19-17 in the sixth inning, earned his first collegiate win by working two and a third innings and allowing just one run on three hits.
The combined 42 runs scored is also a JCU program record, eclipsing the 34 runs scored between John Carroll and Myers College on April 6, 2005.
