CLEVELAND, Ohio – Junior lefthander Jarrett Gish (Jupiter, Fla./Suncoast) logged eight shutout innings on the mound with a career-best nine strikeouts to lead the Case Western Reserve University baseball team to a 5-0 shutout versus regional-foe Otterbein University on Tuesday afternoon at Nobby's Ballpark.
With the victory, the Spartans improve to 14-8 overall heading into a Saturday, March 31 home doubleheader versus Westminster College (Pa.) at 1:00 p.m. Otterbein drops to 13-6 for the season.
Both starters cruised through the first three innings as neither team generated a run. However, in the home half of the third inning, Case put a crooked number on the board with three runs on three hits. Sophomore outfielder Jordan Dague (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) reached on an Otterbein error and senior second baseman Bobby Marko (Lyndhurst, Ohio/Brush) was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second.
Dague and Marko then came around to score via RBI singles off the bats of junior shortstop Matt Keen (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) and junior centerfielder Paul Pakan (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge). The Spartans tacked on the third tally of the inning when Keen scored his team-leading 21st run of the spring on a ball hit by senior outfielder Sam Alexander (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) that took a wicked hop off the lip of the grass and past the Cardinal shortstop.
The score remained 3-0 until the bottom of the sixth when sophomore infielder Andrew Frey (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) laced a single to right field scoring freshman third baseman Andrew Gronski (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson), who reached base via a one-out double down the right field line.
Not done yet, the Spartans added their final run in the bottom of the eighth as senior catcher Peter Zak (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) reached on a fielder's choice and came all the way around to score from first on a double by Dague that one-hopped the fence in left field.
On the mound, Gish threw the first eight innings to improve to 3-1 for the season. The third-year Spartan scattered just the four hits while striking out a career-high nine and not allowing a walk. Sophomore closer Jose Vega (Strongsville, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) threw the final inning, working his way out of a bases-loaded jam to preserve the shutout.
Greg Moomaw (1-3) took the loss for the Cardinals, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits with three punchouts and two walks in seven innings.
At the plate, Frey was 3-for-4 with a run batted-in, while junior first baseman Brett Ossola (Potomac, Md./Bullis School) and Gronski were each 2-for-4.