For just the second time in the last six years the John Carroll University baseball team heads back north with six wins from the Florida trip.
 
John Carroll closed the trip with a 9-1 win over Olivet at the Lee County Player Development Complex in Ft. Myers, Fla. on Saturday. The win pushed JCU's win streak to four-games and runs the Blue and Gold's record to 6-3.
 
"I told the guys before the game, it's either a reality or an excuse," said head coach Marc Thibeault. "Nobody made an excuse today. We played two long games yesterday and got back late. We had a quick turnaround. The boys responded to the challenge which was a good way to finish up a good trip."
 
Another dominant pitching performance highlighted the game. Senior Drew Doring reached double-digit strikeouts for the second time this season. The right-hander struck out 11 in his first start of the year on Monday and followed up with 10 on Saturday. Doring scattered four hits over his eight innings of work only allowing one run.
 
Said Thibeault, "Again, he cut down on the walks. He didn't have them. He located his first two pitches. Andrew had good zip on his fastball and just dominated. It was a really, good strong performance."
 
The Blue Streaks used the whole field to jump out to a 3-0 lead after one inning. Mark Huddle stroked an RBI double down the left-field line and was followed by David Lykens who sent his two-run double down the right-field line.
 
JCU pushed its lead to 5-0 in the third. Junior Mark Pisanello dropped in a one-out hit into left field. The hit would be followed by Jacob Schriner's RBI groundout.
 
Olivet scored its run in the fourth inning. John Carroll answered right back with four runs of its own.
 
Huddle drove in his second run of the game with a two-out single to right-center. Lykens followed suit with an opposite-field single. Pisanello finished the rally with a double to the fence in left to make it a 9-1 game.
 
Reliever Tyler Ferretti worked out of a jam in the top of the ninth. The senior loaded the bases but was able to induce the 5-3 double play to end the game.
 
Pisanello led the offense with the junior right fielder finishing 3-for-4 with a trio of RBIs. Lykens added a pair of hits and three RBIs for the game out of the designated hitter spot while Huddle drove in two runs.
 
John Carroll is slated to head to Lexington, Ky. next weekend. John Carroll will play a three-game series with Transylvania March 14-15.