A critical week is here for the John Carroll University baseball team with a key non-conference regional doubleheader and four big OAC games.
 
Not only did the John Carroll University baseball team take on Case Western Reserve University on Monday, the two teams also had to contend with Mother Nature.
 
CWRU held on to win game one 11-10 and leads game two 6-5 through six innings. The second game was suspended due to darkness after previously having been shortened to seven innings in an effort to get it in. The teams will resume the game on Tuesday, April 28 at the beginning of the 2 p.m. twin bill at CWRU.
 
The teams battled intermittent rain throughout and first pitch was delayed 25 minutes due to the weather.
 
The Spartans improved to 11-9 while the Blue Streaks fell to 16-5.
 
Game One
CWRU 11, JCU 10
Nine Inning Game
 
A late rally by John Carroll was not enough as CWRU would hold on for the 11-10 win.
 
CWRU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Centerfielder Aaron Cain laced a triple to right center just out of the reach of his counterpart Rob Cifelli. Cain came in to score on a RBI groundout from left fielder Josh Neal.
 
The Spartans added three runs in the second. CWRU's Antonio Damiano legged out a two-run double to left. Later in the inning, Neal would knock in his second run of the game with a two-out single to center.
 
John Carroll scored two runs in its half of the second. Patrick Scholla laced a two-out, two-run single to center. The Blue Streaks had loaded the bases on three straight singles from Mark Huddle, Mike Raschilla and David Lykens.
 
CWRU tacked on two more runs in the third inning. Danny Souza came up with the big hit knocking in two runs with a two-out double. CWRU tried to clear the bases on the play but Damiano was thrown out at the plate by Scholla.
 
JCU made the score 6-4 in the fourth. Raschilla brought in David Crowley, who led the inning off with a double to make the score 6-3. John Carroll would load the bases up with Lykens reaching on a catcher's interference call and Scholla drawing a four-pitch walk. Cifelli drew a bases loaded two-out walk to bring in Raschilla.
 
CWRU broke the game wide open with a five-run fifth. The Spartans would take advantage of a pair of Blue Streak errors in the frame to extend the inning.
 
JCU stormed back in the eighth with a five-run inning to make it an 11-9 game. Jacob Schriner plated the first run of the frame with a single to left. Scholla drove in his third run of the game with an RBI groundout scoring Lykens. Bobby Sabatino added a two-out RBI single. Huddle capped the rally crushing a two-run double to left field.
 
The Blue Streaks made the game interesting in the ninth. Cifelli reached on an error with two outs allowing Chris LaLiberte to score on the play making it a one-run affair.
 
"It was a little too little, too late," said head coach Marc Thibeault. "We squandered a few opportunities. We had the bases loaded with nobody out and hit into a tough double play in the middle innings. Our kids grinded through in those last three innings here to plate some runs. We ran out of time."
 
Anthony Libertini took the loss falling to 2-1 on the year. The senior fired four-plus innings allowing 11 hits and 10 runs. JCU's bullpen of Tyler Ferretti and Drew Vargo combined for five innings only allowing two hits. The duo allowed one unearned run.
 
"That was really good to see those guys come in and fill up the strike zone and keep the ball down," said Thibeault. "They did a really good job and it was good to get them out there. We're going to go through a stretch here where we're going to have to go more than five or six deep (with pitchers). That was a definite good bright spot in that game to see the bullpen do a good job."
 
Raschilla led the way at the plate going 2-for-4 with three runs.
 
Game Two
CWRU 6, JCU 5
Seven Inning Game
 
Note: Game was suspended at the end of the sixth inning due to darkness. It will be resumed prior to April 28th's doubleheader at CWRU.
 
An extended fifth inning led to darkness winning out with CWRU ahead 6-5.
 
John Carroll earned an early 1-0 lead with Crowley bringing in Cifelli on an RBI groundout in the first inning.
 
Pitching a "staff day" game, JCU's pitchers were sharp for the first four innings. Jake Servidio struck out four in his two innings of work before giving way to Kyle Witkowski. Witkowski was equally as sharp in his outing not allowing a hit in two innings of work.
 
Said Thibeault, "We didn't know how many innings we were going to play with the darkness and the late start. We wanted to make sure we were able to get some guys some work that were going to give us the opportunity to win the game. Those four good innings were really good to see."
 
That would change in the fifth inning as CWRU would plate five runs. Cain and Andrew Gronski did the majority of the damage each punching two-run singles through the infield.
 
The Blue and Gold countered in its half of the fifth with four runs to knot the game at five. Crowley started the rally drawing a bases loaded walk. Tyler Gentile added a sacrifice fly to be followed two batters later with a two-run single from Raschilla.
 
Said Thibeault, "We took advantage. They started to miss outside the strike zone and we didn't chase or expand. We were able to get runners on without creating outs, which was good to see. We tried to capitalize off of an opponent's pitching staff's mistakes. To be down 5-1 and plate those four was big."
 
The sixth inning saw Souza scored on a wild pitch for what currently stands as the go-ahead run.
 
John Carroll is slated for a 1 p.m. OAC doubleheader at Baldwin Wallace on Wednesday, April 8. Stay tuned to www.jcusports.com and the JCU baseball Twitter account (@JCU_Baseball) for any potential updates.