The Case Western Reserve University baseball team, ranked 15th in Division III, overcame a seven-run deficit entering the bottom of the ninth inning at Nobby's Ballpark in Cleveland on Sunday, winning the game 12-11 on a walk-off two-out, two-run single by graduate student catcher Jack Anderson.

The Spartans improved to 30-9 overall with the win, marking just the third time in program history that the team has notched 30 wins in the regular season. CWRU also matched a University Athletic Association record for conference wins in a season, finishing their league slate with a 13-3 record. The Spartans, who took three out of four games from the Bears, clinched the conference title on Friday afternoon.

With the loss, the Bears ended their regular season with a 24-15-1 overall record, including an 8-7-1 mark in UAA play.

CWRU scored eight runs in the bottom of the ninth to complete the improbable comeback. Sophomore second baseman Jasiah Harris and junior center fielder Logan Andreyko led the inning off with back-to-back singles and Anderson followed with a double to drive in the first run of the inning. Graduate student third baseman James Powers followed with a walk after seeing nine pitches in his at-bat and junior right fielder Nick Harms was hit by a pitch, forcing across another run and trimming the Bears' advantage to five runs. A wild pitch allowed the third run of the inning to score, and after a strikeout, graduate student shortstop Franco Alonso singled to plate Powers and make it an 11-8 score. After the Bears recorded the second out of the inning, first-year left fielder Tyler Stillson singled to cut the lead to two, and a walk to Harris loaded the bases again for Andreyko, who reached on an infield hit that allowed another run to score, cutting the WashU lead to a run, 11-10. The next batter, Anderson, hit the first pitch of his at-bat up the middle, scoring two runs and giving CWRU the walk-off win.

Anderson finished the game three-for-five with five RBIs, two runs, and a double, and batted .588 (10-17) over the four-game series with six runs, two doubles, and 11 RBIs.

The Spartans took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles from Anderson and graduate student first baseman Dane Camphausen. The Bears cut the CWRU lead in half with a run in the third and then took a 4-2 lead with a three-run top of the fourth.

CWRU had an answer in the bottom of the fourth. Alonso led the inning off with a home run over the wall in left-center field, his fourth of the campaign, and a sacrifice fly by Anderson tied the game at 4-4. However, WashU regained the lead with three runs in the top of the fifth to go ahead 7-4. The Bears continued to add to their lead with three runs in the seventh and one in the ninth to take a seven-run lead heading into the ninth before the Spartans' unlikely comeback turned the tables on WashU.

Stillson, who pitched the final two innings of the game, earned the win in relief to improve to 6-0 on the year after allowing just one run on one hit with three walks and a pair of strikeouts.

Harris reached base in all five of his plate appearances, going two-for-two with three walks and two runs. Andreyko added a three-for-five day with a double, two runs, and an RBI, while Stillson, Alonso, and Powers each contributed a pair of hits during the game.

WashU reliever Evan Minarovic allowed the final two runs of the game to suffer the loss, ending his season with an 0-1 record.

CWRU will wrap up its 2024 regular season next Sunday, May 5 at home against John Carroll with the first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Before the start of the game, the Spartans will recognize their graduating players as part of 'Senior Day' at Nobby's Ballpark.