Sophomores Jake Shields (Hamilton, Ohio /Ross Senior) and Preston Williams (Houston, Texas /Second Baptist) combined on a seven-hit shutout and four hitters drove in at least two runs to lead the Case Western Reserve baseball team to a 12-0 win over University of Pittsburgh Greensburg in the first game of a doubleheader at Nobby's Ball Park.
Sophomore rightfielder Antonio Damiano (Naples, Fla. /Gulf Coast) went 2-for-4 with a run scored, two doubles, two runs batted in, and a rarity in the outfield by recording at least one putout in every inning. He finished with 10 putouts and added an assist.
Shields scattered six hits in six innings, getting out of two-out, bases-loaded jams in both the third and fourth innings. Williams allowed just one baserunner in three innings of relief to earn his first save of the season with a pair of strikeouts.
The Spartans loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning, scoring once on a fielder's choice by sophomore catcher Eric Eldred (Tecumseh, Mich. /Tecumseh) to score senior shortstop Kerrigan Cain (Hartville, Ohio /Archbishop Hoban), who opened the inning with a single.
CWRU exploded for five runs in the second inning. After bases-loaded walks to sophomore leftfielder Josh Neal (Gaithersburg, Md. /St. John's College) and senior third baseman Andrew Gronski (Hilliard, Ohio / Hilliard Davidson) scored Damiano and sophomore centerfielder Aaron Cain (Hartville, Ohio /Archbishop Hoban) to make it 3-0, senior first baseman Rob Winemiller (Twinsburg, Ohio /University School) cleared the bases with a double to deep centerfield.
The lead grew to 10-0 in the fourth inning with back-to-back two-run doubles from junior second baseman Zack Tobias (Pittsburgh, Pa. /Upper St. Clair) and Damiano.
Freshman centerfielder Daniel Watson (St. Louis, Mo. /St. Louis Priory School) became the fourth Spartan to drive in at least two runs when he doubled in senior Will Meador (Columbus, Ohio /Worthington Kilbourne) and freshman second baseman Alex Capetillo (Cincinnati, Ohio /Turpin), who led off the eighth inning with consecutive walks.
Kerrigan Cain finished 2-for-4 with two walks and two runs scored, Gronski went 2-for-4 with two walks, two runs scored, and one run batted in, and Winemiller finished 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs batted in.
The win was the fourth in a row for the Spartans, who improved to 12-9 entering the second game of the doubleheader.