The 2018 season has had its peaks and valleys for the John Carroll University baseball program.
Sunday afternoon proved to be a high point.
The Blue Streaks tallied nine runs on 14 hits to back four of their freshman pitchers and knock off the No. 2 team in the country, the College of Wooster, at Art Murray Field. The 9-6 win is arguably the team's biggest of the campaign, as the Fighting Scots entered play with a 25-3 record, 7-0 clip at home and a 20-game winning streak spanning from March 21 to April 21.
Kasey Anzelc allowed two runs on five hits over three innings before
Erich Payne,
Nicholas Michel,
Andrew Steele and
Carter Semancik combined for six innings of four-run ball.
Aaron Zawadzki went 3-for-4 with a run and three RBIs, while
Patrick Keohane went 3-for-5 with two runs, one double and an RBI. The top four hitters in the Blue and Gold lineup totaled 10 of the team's 14 base knocks in the high-scoring affair.
With the victory, John Carroll improves to 17-13, 7-7 OAC, trailing Otterbein (23-9, 11-3 OAC), Marietta (21-9, 9-4 OAC), Baldwin Wallace (23-9, 9-5 OAC), Ohio Northern (21-10, 9-5 OAC), Heidelberg (19-11, 7-7 OAC) and Mount Union (15-11, 6-6 OAC). The top four teams in the conference advance to the postseason tournament.
Anzelc allowed an RBI single to Dan Harwood in the second, breaking the scoring barrier. One inning later, Jake Fling ripped an RBI single. The freshman out of Walsh Jesuit was making his collegiate debut on the hill, finishing with a line of 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 2 K (51 pitches, 32 strikes, 62.7 percent, four groundouts, two flyouts).
Sandwiched between the home nine's early scoring was a crooked number for the Blue Streaks, as
Dominic Mittiga doubled in Keohane (single) and Zawadzki (hit by pitch) before
Monroe Donnelly and
Derek Penman each laced an RBI single.
Michael Anderson scored on a wild pitch to pave the way to a 5-2 lead.
The scoring would not come to a halt.
JCU piled on the production when Keohane and Zawadzki recorded RBI singles through the right and left sides respectively. The cushion was just enough for the John Carroll bullpen.
Payne logged three innings of one-run ball and Michel worked two quality frames before Steele and Semancik worked the ninth to top the College of Wooster for the first time since April 28, 2016. The Fighting Scots lead the all-time series between the two programs dating back to 1985, 23-7.
Next, the Blue Streaks will travel to Oberlin, OH and take on Oberlin College on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
