Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
2025 Baseball Seniors
Cory Lizalde
#1 Michael Pollard, #2 Ryan Funderburg, #4 Mason Vance, #7 Michael Persichetti, #10 Sean Fritinger, #12 Carson Balfour, #15 Jack Beiter, #19 Sean Connolly, #23 Austin Miller, #45 Matt Campbell, #56 Jack Harmon, #36 Owen Gerba, Sports Information Fellow Sean Finucane
4
Ohio Wesleyan OWUB 8-22
5
Winner John Carroll JCU-B 20-11
Ohio Wesleyan OWUB
8-22
4
Final
5
John Carroll JCU-B
20-11
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
Ohio Wesleyan OWUB 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 11 0
John Carroll JCU-B 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 5 13 5

W: Simon, Roger (3-1) L: Joe Liss (1-2)

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

In a Wild 11-Inning Game, Baseball Scores Senior Day Win over Ohio Wesleyan

The Blue Streaks celebrated 13 seniors after a fascinating showdown with OWU

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – Without a doubt, John Carroll Baseball picked a wacky game for Senior Day vs. Ohio Wesleyan University.

The Blue Streaks and Battling Bishops fought in an 11-inning duel that featured plenty of twists and turns: A runner's interference controversy, strange outfield turf bounces, close-call errors, an eighth-inning comeback, and an wacky walkoff single.

When all was said and done at Schweickert Field, the Blue Streaks sent off the 13 seniors with a 5-4 conquest. 

The game-winning hero, Sean Connolly, did the job for the Streaks before rounding the bases one last time after the game with his teammates.

"From the time we got here, we've always been really tight, and tight with everyone else on the team," said Connolly. "There's no lack of faith in one another, everyone plays for each other. You see it on the field, we never stop."

The teams traded runs in the first inning of a game that started off normally. Playing in his program-record 163rd game, Erik Daugenti singled up the middle in his first at bat. The Saint Ignatius grad stole second and soon scored on a Sean Fritinger single to left. 

An error in the third inning allowed OWU to sneak ahead, 2-1. Austin Miller allowed his lone earned run of the day in the fourth, departing with a 3-1 deficit. In the bottom of the frame, JCU slimmed the margin, as Jack Beiter belted a ball to right field that took a fortunate hop. Thus, the senior sprinted to third for a triple. Jack Harmon plated him with an RBI groundout.

Roger Simon checked into the game in the fifth inning. After surrendering an unearned run in his first frame, the Chicago native settled in for the long haul. JCU threatened the next two innings, but couldn't finish.

A maddening play erased a potential run for JCU in the seventh. With two outs, reigning OAC Hitter of the Week Ethan Glossa approached the plate with Ryan Funderburg on third base. Glossa tapped a skipping grounder up the third-base foul line. Funderburg calmly stepped up the white line to the bag, stepping on third with both feet. The third baseman misjudged the hop, seemingly allowing Funderburg to score. But inexplicably, Funderburg was called out on runner's interference, sending the Schweickert Field faithful into disbelief. 

Despite this disadvantage, JCU tied the ballgame in the eighth. Carson Balfour laced a 2-run double to right center to knot the contest at four apiece.

With Simon on cruise control, the Blue Streaks and Battling Bishops went to extras. In the 11th inning, John Carroll broke through at last.

Michael Persichetti walked to start the frame, and got to second on a Funderburg sacrifice bunt. Following a Jordan Suvak walk, Glossa advanced the runners on a groundout. And so Sean Connolly approached the dish.

The Pine-Richland grad had been shaken up in the 10th on both an athletic catch in right field in the top of the frame and then on a collision with the first baseman on a groundout. Steady as ever, the senior tapped a seemingly easily playable grounder to shortstop. But with his vision impeded by Suvak and the field umpire, the OWU shortstop got a late read on the ball, which trickled through into the outfield untouched.

"Obviously, I got a little banged up, but I was looking at where they were positioned and that there was a massive hole over there. My approach was 'There's two outs, if there's anything there, swing at it,' and I managed to poke one through."

Simon deserves plenty of praise, going 7 outstanding innings in relief, allowing just one unearned run on five hits. JCU finished with 13 hits, as nine different hitters tallied basehits, with no one tabbing more than two. A total of 18 hitters got an at-bat today. 

All in all, it was a crazy game, but no doubt a fun one to celebrate the seniors.

"Since freshman year, we've always been together. It's never a bad time with anyone in this class," said Connolly. "We're all really close, and it's always been super fun. Everyone has had each other's backs no matter what. I'll take that away the most."

Next Up
John Carroll Baseball will head to Wilmington on Saturday for an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader. JCU can clinch a spot in the OAC Tournament with a sweep plus a Muskingum loss to Otterbein.

Thank you Seniors!
#1 Michael Pollard, #2 Ryan Funderburg, #4 Mason Vance, #7 Michael Persichetti, #10 Sean Fritinger, #12 Carson Balfour, #15 Jack Beiter, #19 Sean Connolly, #23 Austin Miller, #36 Owen Gerba, #45 Matt Campbell, #56 Jack Harmon, Sports Information Fellow Sean Finucane
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors