The Case Western Reserve University baseball team wrapped up its third-straight University Athletic Association series win with a 12-5 triumph over New York University at Nobby's Ballpark in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday afternoon.

CWRU took three of the four games in the series and improved to 9-3 in UAA play this season and to 18-15 overall. The Spartans will enter the final weekend of UAA play this season with a one-game lead over Emory in the race for the conference title.

NYU dropped to 17-9 overall following the loss and ended their UAA schedule with a 7-9 league record.

First-year Kyle Gearding earned the win with a masterful relief effort, improving to 2-1 on the season. Gearding threw four and two-third hitless innings, issuing just one walk and striking out three, lowering his season ERA to 2.74.

The Violets scored three runs in the second and one in the third off senior starter Willem Bouma, who left the game with one out and the bases loaded in the third. Gearding entered the game and prevented any further damage, inducing a one-two-three double play to end the Violets' threat.

Gearding went on to retire the first nine batters he faced in the game, allowing the Spartans bats to climb back into the contest. A walk to sophomore third baseman Zack Carinci and back-to-back one-out singles by junior first baseman Nick Talarico and senior outfielder Cole Jarrett loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth. First-year outfielder Mitchell Schultz drew a walk to get the Spartans on the board, and then with two outs, junior second baseman Trey Haley singled to drive in a pair and pull CWRU back within a run, 4-3. The Spartans evened the score an inning later when Carinci scored from third on an NYU error.

Junior designated hitter Kevin Mackenzie reached on an error to start the sixth, and then came around to score on a double by Haley to give the Spartans their first lead of the game, 5-4. A single by Carinci later in the frame plated a pair of runs, and a sacrifice fly by first-year outfielder Nick Harms put the Spartans in front 8-4.

CWRU went on to add three more in the seventh and one in the eighth to pull away from the Violets. Sophomore Patrick O'Connor allowed a run on two hits and struck out three over the final two innings to close out the win.

Haley finished the game three-for-five with a double, two stolen bases, two runs scored and four RBIs. Carinci added a three-for-four performance at the plate with three runs, two RBIs and a walk, and Talarico finished the contest two-for-three with a double, two runs and two walks.

NYU starter Ashwin Chota allowed six runs over five innings and suffered the loss, falling to 2-3 for the season.

CWRU will be back in action next weekend, as the Spartans play host to Washington University (Mo.) for their final UAA series of the season. The four-game series will open on Friday, April 22, with the first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m.