The Case Western Reserve University opened its 2019 home campaign with a doubleheader sweep over Allegheny College, defeating the Gators 11-4 in game one, and picking up a 4-3 win in its final at bat in the second affair on the day on Saturday at Nobby's Ballpark in Cleveland, Ohio.

The wins were the first two of the season for the Spartans, who improved to 2-3 overall, while Allegheny dropped to 0-5 with the setbacks.

Game 1: CWRU 11, Allegheny 4
Case Western Reserve took a lead with three runs in the bottom of the first inning and never trailed again in the opening game, striking the first blow against Allegheny with an 11-4 victory.

Junior southpaw Scott Kutschke entered the game with two outs in the first, and proceeded to pitch three and a third perfect innings, striking out four batters to earn the win and improve to 1-0 on the year.  Sophomore righty Matt Levine allowed just two runs on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts over the final five innings, claiming a save in the first relief outing of his career.

Allegheny took an early 2-0 lead in the game with a pair of runs in the top of the first.  However, CWRU responded right away, as senior second baseman Rocco Maue singled and scored on an error, senior catcher Tyler Wypiszenski tripled to tie the score, and senior third baseman Jacob Kucia drove in Wypiszenski with a base hit, giving the Spartans a 3-2 advantage.

It remained a one-run game until the bottom of the fourth, when the Spartans hit around and scored five more runs to go ahead 8-2.  Maue, sophomore designated hitter Tre Armstrong, and Wypiszenski each had RBI hits in the inning.

After a two-run home run by Allegheny in the top of the fifth cut CWRU's lead back to four runs, the Spartans responded again with a three-run frame, including a two-run single by sophomore leftfielder Jake Ryan.  The 11-4 score would hold for the remainder of the game.

Wypiszenski went two-for-four in the game with a double, a triple, three RBIs, two runs scored, a walk and a stolen base.  Maue added a two-for-two performance with two stolen bases, and sophomore shortstop Jacob Lott went two-for-four with a double, a walk and a pair of runs.

Starting pitcher Sean Kealey took the loss for Allegheny, falling to 0-2 on the year.

Game 2: CWRU 4, Allegheny 3
The Spartans overcame an early three-run deficit, scoring four runs in the final three innings of the game, including a pair in their final at bat, to defeat Allegheny 4-3 and complete the sweep of the doubleheader.

Freshman righty Willem Bouma earned the win in relief to improve to 1-0, holding the Gators scoreless over four innings of work on four hits and two strikeouts.  He entered the contest in the fifth with the team trailing 3-0, after Allegheny scored three in the top of the second.

The score remained 3-0 until the bottom of the sixth, when Armstrong hit a pinch hit double to left field that scored Ryan, and cut the lead to 3-1.  The Spartans inched closer in the seventh, when Wypiszenski singled with two outs and came around to score on a triple by Ryan, his second three-bagger of the game.

Back-to-back runners reached with one out in the bottom of the eighth for CWRU when junior first baseman Casey McConihe singled and junior centerfielder Samuel Neal was hit by a pitch.  Lott followed with a base hit to left, scoring pinch runner Nick Sellitto, and tying the game at 3-3.  With two outs in the inning and the bases loaded, Wypiszenski hit a ball that was misplayed by the second baseman, allowing the go ahead run to score.

Senior southpaw Corey Brown allowed just one hit in the ninth, but kept Allegheny off the board to secure his first save of the season.

Ryan went two-for-five with two triples, a run scored and an RBI in the game, while Wypiszenski and McConihe each had multiple hit games.  Lott went one-for-three to extend his hitting streak to nine game (dating back to last season), while Kucia picked up a triple to stretch his hitting streak to five-straight games.

Nate Pastorek was saddled with a loss in relief for Allegheny, dropping to 0-2 on the campaign.

The Spartans will now prepare for their spring break trip, which includes stops in Atlanta, Georgia and Lexington, South Carolina.  CWRU will begin the trip against Oglethorpe University in Atlanta next Sunday, March 10^th at 2:00 p.m.