The Case Western Reserve University baseball team stretched its win streak to seven games with a doubleheader sweep of Hiram College on Wednesday, April 6 at Bob Cene Park. The Spartans won the opener, 5-1, then took the nightcap, 11-7.
The Spartans improve to 21-10 overall, while Hiram drops to 8-12.
In the opener, sophomore first baseman Brett Ossola (Potomac, MD/Bullis School) singled in a run to put the Spartans on the board in the first, but Hiram was quickly able to tie the score with a run on three hits in its half of the inning. Case regained the lead with two in the third as senior third baseman Chad Mullins (Fredericksburg, OH/Waynedale) doubled home one and Ossola singled in another. The Spartans then added an insurance score in the fourth when junior outfielder Matt Richards (San Juan Capistrano, CA/San Clemente) hit an RBI single. The lead grew to 5-1 when Mullins scored on a wild pitch in the fifth.
On the mound, sophomore Jamie Hora (Twinsburg, OH/Twinsburg) tossed his team-leading fourth complete game to improve to 4-3. He allowed one earned run on just five hits and a walk while striking out three.
For the game, Mullins was 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Ossola was 3-for-3 with a walk and a pair of RBI.
In game two, the Spartans wasted little time in lighting up the scoreboard, crossing the plate three times in the first inning thanks to an RBI triple by sophomore shortstop Matt Keen (Tallmadge, OH/Tallmadge) and RBI singles by Ossola and junior second baseman Bobby Marko (Lyndhurst, OH/Brush). Case added six more in the fourth with Mullins and junior outfielder Sam Alexander (Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) providing RBI doubles. Alexander's 29-game hit streak came to an end in game one, but he now has at least one hit in 29 of 30 games this season.
For the game, freshman infielder Andrew Frey (Mentor, OH/Mentor) went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Alexander and Keen were each 2-for-4.
Junior pitcher A.J. Boshinski (Alpharetta, GA/St. Pius X) started on the mound and allowed four earned runs in five innings while striking out six to improve to 4-0.
The Spartans are back in action with a single, nine-inning game on Friday, April 8 at cross-town rival Baldwin-Wallace College. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m.