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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Thomas Bates at the dish vs. Otterbein on 3-25-24
Sean Finucane
Thomas Bates provided a clutch hit in the eighth inning of Game 2. 
6
Winner Otterbein OTT 14-5, 1-0 OAC
3
John Carroll JCU 5-10, 0-1 OAC
Winner
Otterbein OTT
14-5, 1-0 OAC
6
Final
3
John Carroll JCU
5-10, 0-1 OAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Otterbein OTT 0 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 1 6 9 2
John Carroll JCU 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 3 9 1

W: Kyler Archual (4-0) L: Freeman, Frank (1-3)

11
Winner Otterbein OTT 15-5, 2-0 OAC
7
John Carroll JCU 5-11, 0-2 OAC
Winner
Otterbein OTT
15-5, 2-0 OAC
11
Final
7
John Carroll JCU
5-11, 0-2 OAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Otterbein OTT 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 1 5 11 8 2
John Carroll JCU 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 2 1 7 11 2

W: Braydon McCloskey (3-0) L: Simon, Roger (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Joe Ginley '16, SID

JCU Baseball Swept by Otterbein in Home Opener

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – For the first time of the season, John Carroll Baseball took the diamond at Schweickert Field on Monday afternoon.

The Blue Streaks also opened up Ohio Athletic Conference play, welcoming Otterbein University on a sunny, fairly warm day in University Heights. Despite the promising weather, JCU lost the first game, 6-3, and the second, 11-7.

Walks and hit by pitches spelled a sweep for the Blue Streaks, as JCU pitchers issued nine free passes in the opener and 14 in the second game.

Game 1
Frank Freeman got the starting nod on the bump for John Carroll, pitching well. His lone mistake early on was a solo shot in the second to allow the Cardinals to take an early lead.

John Carroll got the run back in the bottom of the fourth. Michael Persichetti opened the frame with a single and swiftly stole second. Jack Harmon laced a single to center to score Persichetti for the home team's first run. Otterbein quickly got out of the frame, however, with a 5-4-3 doubleplay.

Otterbein responded in the fifth with a huge inning. The Cardinals clobbered a three-run bomb over the wall in left field to retake the lead. Owen Gerba checked in for his first appearance of the season in relief. The southpaw settled things down, getting JCU back to the plate with a 3-run deficit. 

The Cardinals got a run across in the seventh, as Henry Darrow exited with the bases loaded and one out. Jake Corll quickly got out of the jam with a lineout doubleplay. 

Erik Daugenti opened up the bottom of the frame with a double and later came around to score. But the Cardinals didn't waver, supplying another insurance run in the ninth. 

In JCU's last chance at the dish, the hosts loaded the bases with two outs, thanks to Daugenti walk, Connor Mayle hit by pitch, and Logan LaMere single. Matt Armstrong approached the plate as the tying run, and clipped a single up the middle for one run. But the Cardinals escaped there, holding on for the 6-3 win. 

Game 2
Sylvan Wiley got the call to start for John Carroll in the second game. The senior strolled through two innings before running into trouble in the third, loading the bases with no outs. Bobby Bell called to the pen for Maxwell Schumaker with the heart of the Otterbein order coming up. The graduate student got the first batter on a 3-pitch strikeout, and summoned a potential double play, but JCU couldn't complete it, and so a pair of runs crossed for the Cardinals. 

Otterbein added one in the fourth, while the JCU bats started off cold, as Otterbein struck out six Blue Streaks in the first four frames. 

But the bats came alive in the fifth inning for the Blue & Gold. John Carroll loaded the bases with two outs for Sean Fritinger, showcasing strong plate discipline. The Aurora native singled to bring home a pair of Blue Streaks, and one more came around to score on an Otterbein error. A Persichetti RBI single added one more to tie it up at four. 

The Cardinals threatened to retake the lead in the sixth, getting two aboard with two outs. So Austin Miller checked in to get out of it. A passed ball allowed Otterbein to cross the go-ahead run, but Miller coaxed a popout to end the frame. 

John Carroll got a pair of runners aboard with one out in the seventh, looking to make some noise. But the Cardinals garnered a 6-4-3 doubleplay, Otterbein's third of the day. 

In the top of the eighth, back-to-back walks set up a dangerous situation. Owen Gerba was called in to douse the flames. Gerba got two outs, one on a sacrifice bunt and one on a sacrifice fly, with a hit by pitch sandwiched in between after almost getting a strikeout. The junior gave way to Roger Simon with two outs and two on, and the Loyola Academy grad summoned a strikeout to escape with just a 6-4 deficit. 

In response, JCU offense gave it a go, loading the bases with no outs thanks to a Sean Connolly walk, an Erik Daugenti single, and a Bryce Holt walk. Otterbein got two outs, but Thomas Bates came through in the clutch. The freshman from Olean, NY clubbed a single through the right side to score two and knot the game up at six apiece. 

Otterbein quickly responded by loading the bases with one out in the ninth. A pitching change couldn't stem the tide, as a 2-run single stole the lead back for the Cardinals. Walks and hit by pitches hurt the Blue Streaks further, placing JCU behind by five runs heading into JCU's final ups. The hosts got one back, but the comeback couldn't overcome the deficit. 

Next Up
John Carroll Baseball will continue its busy week, heading to the College of Wooster for a non-conference single game on Wednesday. 
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