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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Austin Miller vs. Wittenberg 5-8-26
Joe Ginley
Austin Miller set the JCU record for appearances in a season
4
John Carroll Univ. JCU 21-18
18
Winner Wittenberg Univ. WIT 30-10
John Carroll Univ. JCU
21-18
4
Final
18
Wittenberg Univ. WIT
30-10
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
John Carroll Univ. JCU 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 9 1
Wittenberg Univ. WIT 0 1 9 0 0 7 1 0 X 18 20 0

W: Thewes, Wade (7-2) L: Corll, Jake (4-3)

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

Blue Streaks' Season Ends with NCAC Tournament Loss to #13 Wittenberg

The Tigers' bats could not be contained in the season finale

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – On Thursday, John Carroll Baseball enjoyed a monster inning in a loss to Denison. On Friday, the Blue Streaks were the victim of a wild inning.

In the team's second game of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, the Blue Streaks never recovered from a 9-run third inning against Wittenberg University, the #2 seed in the tournament and the #13 team in NCAA Division III.

The 2026 campaign came to a close for the Blue Streaks at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, as John Carroll lost to the Tigers, 18-4.

JCU got going early with three straight singles in the first inning to plate the game's first run. The first pitch for Jake Corll plunked a Tiger, but Chris Bach's cannon arm caught the Tiger stealing. Wittenberg did reply with a run in the second, but a 6-4-3 doubleplay got out of it. 

JCU loaded the bases in the top of the third, as Ethan Glossa drew a hit by pitch before George Haracz and Thomas Bates laid down back-to-back beautiful bunt singles down the thirdbase line. A Konner Hauck sacrifice fly and a Wittenberg wild pitch pushed JCU in front.

But then things came apart at the seams for John Carroll in the bottom of the third. 

The Tigers tied the game with three hits and a walk, leading Bobby Bell to turn to Drew Walker. The first-year reliever quickly got a pair of outs and seemingly got out of the inning. But a very rare dropped flyball in the outfield allowed the inning to continue. Disaster ensued with a Tigers grand slam. Wittenberg plated two more runs before the inning mercifully ended, but not prior to the Tigers taking full control of the game with a 10-3 lead after three. 

JCU threatened in the fourth inning in response, loading the bases. But Wittenberg emerged unscathed. Later in the sixth inning, the Tigers put 7 runs on the board to fully put the game out of reach.

The script in the eighth inning was an emotional one for John Carroll. In his final collegiate at-bat, catcher and team leader Chris Bach hammered a homer over the wall in left field. Sam D'Amelio notched his first hit of the season in his final game in the Blue & Gold. 

Then in the bottom of the eighth, Austin Miller checked in with two outs to set the JCU single-season record for appearances in a season. Fittingly, Miller got a lineout to Glossa at first to break the program record with 21 appearances on the mound in a single season. The long-standing program record of 20 was held by Chris Levandowski (1999). 

John Carroll closes out the season with a 21-18 record. 
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