Box Score The John Carroll University baseball team came out swinging on Thursday afternoon in Ft. Myers, Fla. Mother Nature then struck.

After a rain delay of approximately 5 hours and 20 minutes, John Carroll resumed its baseball game with Scranton already with a 4-0 lead and two runners on base. The lead would continue to grow. The Blue Streaks would go on to score a season-high 14 runs and tie their season-high with 16 hits in their 14-5 drubbing over Scranton on Thursday evening and snap a 3-game skid.

"It's not easy with a long rain delay whether you're a coach or a player," said head coach Marc Thibeault. "There's the uncertainty, nobody really knows what's going on. We stayed locked in. We did whatever we had to do between games to kill the time. If you have mature people they can understand that situation and adjust to the elements. It was the same for both teams and I think we did a better job today than the other team with that difficult spot."

The Blue Streaks started the resumption with two hit batsmen and two walks to quickly open up a 7-0 lead after half an inning. Earlier in the day at the Player Development Complex in Ft. Myers where the game started, John Carroll's hitters did not miss.

Robby Cifelli started the game off legging out an infield single and would score when Jimmy Spagna scorched a double down the left field line. Chet Lauer continued his hot start to the season with a single into center which brought in Mitchell Herringshaw. David Crowley added the Blue and Gold's fourth straight hit to make it a 4-0 game before the rain hit.

"The start was something we definitely needed," said Thibeault. "I thought it was really important, out second batter bunted. Our philosophy was to score first. We're kind of in a 3-game slide and thought if we could scratch a run in the first inning maybe it would give the kids a little bit momentum. It worked out well. Even after we have that bunt we had a couple of at bats to plate those runs and take advantage of their miscues. It was really good to see and it was nice to pounce early and get the momentum."

Sophomore Aaron Lapaglia, who tossed eight strong innings in his first start in Florida, showed no ill effects from pitching on short rest or dealing with the 5-plus hour rain delay. Lapaglia sent down Scranton's hitters 1-2-3 in the first inning.

John Carroll would add three runs in the top of the fourth inning to open up a 10-3 lead. The Blue Streaks once again did all of its damage with two outs, Jacob Schriner led the two-out rally with a double to left brining in Lauer. Joe Wilimczyk followed suit with a 2-run single to left to break the game open.

The offense was not done for the night.

John Carroll's big hitters heated up in the ninth inning. Herringshaw led off the frame lasering a single into leftfield. Spagna followed suit belting away at the left side of the field before Lauer cleared the bases with a double to the left-center gap. Two batters later David Lykens would drive Lauer in for the Blue and Gold's third run of the inning.

John Carroll's other run in the game came in the eighth inning when Cifelli drove in Lykens on a ground out.

Scranton would not go quietly and quickly tried to work its way back into the game. The Royals added one run in the second inning when Edward Ravert drew a bases-loaded walk after the first two Scranton hitters reached via singles.

Scranton would strike again in the third inning. Zach Dignam led off the inning with a single and came in to score in Eric Pizzico's 1-out double.

The Royal's added one run in the fourth inning and two in the ninth.

After giving up a run in three straight innings Lapaglia settled in and retired all three Scranton hitters in grounders to Wilimczyk in the fifth inning. The sophomore righty ran into a jam in the sixth inning by junior Anthony Libertini came on in relief and fanned two straight hitters to keep Scranton off of the board in the sixth.

The Blue Streaks improved to 3-5 on the season. Lapaglia improved to 2-1 on the mound.

Lauer led the offense with three hits and three RBIs. Joining Lauer with three hits was Herringshaw and Lykens. All nine starters reached base safely.

John Carroll returns to action at South Regional Park in Punta Gorda, Fla. on Friday. The Blue Streaks will face Moravian in a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Both games will be seven innings in length.