Shields Dominant on the Mound Again, Spartans Win 2-0 at Wooster

More news about: Case Western Reserve

WOOSTER, Ohio - Freshman pitcher Jake Shields (Hamilton, Ohio/Ross Senior) extended his shutout streak to 12 innings, and the No. 21 nationally ranked Case Western Reserve University baseball team picked up a 2-0 road win at The College of Wooster on Wednesday afternoon at Art Murray Field.

The Spartans (19-6) have now won four of their last five, while the Fighting Scots (13-7) have dropped three out of four. 

Shields (4-1) shut the hosts out for six-plus innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out five. Over his last two starts, the rookie right-hander has struck out 15 batters in just 11 innings. 

Offensively, junior outfielder Will Meador (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Senior rightfielder Jordan Dague (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) was 2-for-3 with the other run scored.  

The Spartans posted single tallies in both the first and second with Meador factoring in each score. He led off the game with a single and eventually came home on an RBI groundout by junior second baseman Kerrigan Cain (Hartville, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban). Then in the second, Meador hit a two-out RBI single to plate Dague, who doubled two batters earlier. 

After Shields departed in the bottom of the seventh, senior Ray Kelly (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas Institute) and junior Rob Winemiller (Twinsburg, Ohio/University School) combined to hold the lead through the inning. Junior closer Dan Sondag (Cary, N.C./Green Hope) then came out of the bullpen and fired two shutout frames for his fifth save. 

The Spartans are now 15-0 in games where they held a lead after six innings. 

Steve Hagen (1-4) was the tough-luck loser for Wooster with two earned runs allowed in six innings. Frank Vance finished 3-for-4 at the plate for the Fighting Scots.  

The Spartans return to action tomorrow (Thursday, April 10) for a 4:00 p.m. game at local-rival John Carroll University.