Case Western Reserve University graduate student Evan Faxon fanned seven batters in eight innings of work, setting a new program record for strikeouts in a single season, as the Spartans picked up a 9-4 win at John Carroll University in the team's antepenultimate game of the 2022 regular season on Thursday afternoon.

With the win, CWRU now stands at 22-16 overall, while John Carroll dropped to 18-19 with the loss. The win also completed a Spartan sweep of the two game-series between the two teams in 2022.

Faxon scattered seven hits and three walks over his eight innings on the hill, throwing 130 pitches in the effort. He allowed just four runs, three of which were earned. Faxon's seven strikeouts give him 80 for the campaign, passing the previous single-season record of 75, set by former Spartan Lance Sparks in both 1994 and 1995.

Faxon improved to 6-0 on the season with the win with a 4.16 earned run average.

CWRU's offense created traffic on the basepaths throughout the game, pounding out 11 hits and drawing 12 walks. Junior first baseman Nick Talarico finished the game two-for-five, swatting his fourth home run of the season in addition to a double, while scoring two runs and driving in a pair. Junior second baseman Trey Haley reached base five times, going three-for-three with two doubles, a run scored, two RBIs and a pair of walks. Senior outfielder Cole Jarrett added a three-for-four day at the plate, and junior catcher Jack Anderson was two-for-four with a run, two walks and two stolen bases.

CWRU struck in the top of the first, taking a 1-0 lead after Anderson led the game off with a single, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a sacrifice fly by first-year outfielder Nick Harms. After John Carroll answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the score, a balk in the top of the second scored graduate student designated hitter Tre Armstrong to give CWRU the lead back, and first-year outfielder Logan Andreyko crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by graduate student shortstop Jacob Lott to put the Spartans in front 3-1.

A solo home run in the bottom of the fourth brought the Blue Streaks back within a run, but the Spartans blew the game open with a four-run output in the top of the seventh. Talarico drove in the first run of the inning with a double, and a bases-loaded double by Haley later in the inning scored two more. Lott capped off the scoring with his second sacrifice fly of the game, giving the Spartans a 7-2 lead.

The teams traded runs over the next three frames, with Talarico connecting on a solo home run with two outs in the eighth, and Haley scoring on a wild pitch in the ninth.

Sophomore Tyler Horvath closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning, striking out three and allowing one hit, lowering his season ERA to 1.59. John Carroll starter Grant Gedeon suffered the loss, falling to 0-1 on the year.
 
The Spartans will conclude the regular season on Sunday, as the team will hope to strengthen its argument for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament field, when it travels to Alliance, Ohio to face the University of Mount Union in a doubleheader starting at noon.