The Case Western Reserve University baseball team opened a four-game series against the University of Chicago by sweeping a doubleheader against the Maroons on Saturday, winning the early game 2-1 and claiming a 7-4 win in the late contest at Nobby's Ballpark in Cleveland.

The Spartans have now won four straight games and six of their last seven to improve to 12-5 overall for the season. Chicago dropped to 1-11 with the two losses.

The doubleheader was originally scheduled for two nine-innings games, but overnight snow forced a delay as the team prepared the field. With the games delayed two hours, the teams shifted the schedule to a pair of seven-inning games instead.

Graduate student Jack Anderson went three-for-six at the plate with a triple, a stolen base, and a run over the two games and picked up a save in the second game after catching the first 13 innings of the doubleheader. Junior outfielder Logan Andreyko was also three-for-six on Saturday with a double and three runs scored.

Game 1 - CWRU 2, Chicago 1
Senior pitchers Reece Marley and Tyler Horvath combined to hold Chicago to just one unearned run on four hits and timely run-scoring singles from graduate student left fielder Franco Alonso and graduate student third baseman James Powers helped push the Spartans past the Maroons 2-1 in the first game of the day.

Chicago struck first in the game, scoring a run without the benefit of a hit in the top of the third to take a 1-0 lead. The Spartans remained behind by a run until the bottom of the fourth when graduate student first baseman Dane Camphausen drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a one-out single by Alonso. CWRU took its first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth when Andreyko doubled with one out and scored on a two-out single by Powers, putting the Spartans in front 2-1.

Marley allowed just one run in his five innings of work and left the game in the sixth with a one-run lead. Senior Horvath took over with no outs and two runners on, but retired three straight batters to end the Chicago threat in the sixth and pitched a scoreless seventh inning to secure the win.

Marley earned the win in the game to improve to 2-2, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out six batters. Horvath, who picked up his team-leading third save of the year, allowed just one hit and struck out five batters in his two innings of work.

CWRU totaled seven hits in the game, including a two-for-three game from Alonso.

Hayden Leiderman suffered the complete-game loss, dropping to 0-3 on the campaign with the setback.

Game 2 - CWRU 7, Chicago 4
The Spartans built an early lead and first-year Quinn Saunders helped it hold up with his second-straight double-digit strikeout performance as CWRU completed the sweep with a 7-4 win in the late game.

Just over a week removed from setting the program's single-game record with 14 strikeouts in his start against Trinity (Conn.), Saunders struck out 12 batters in five innings on Saturday en route to improving to 2-0 with the win. He allowed just two runs (one earned) on three hits with a pair of walks.

After Saunders retired the side in order in the top of the first, the Spartans struck for four runs in the bottom of the frame. CWRU got on the board when Anderson scored on a ground ball by junior right fielder Nick Harms. Camphausen followed with a double that scored Powers and extended the lead to 2-0 and a base hit by senior designated hitter Zack Carinci played both Harms and Camphausen and put the Spartans ahead 4-0. In the second, Andreyko scored on a fielder's choice and Harms drove in a run with a single to extend the team's lead to 6-0. Harms drove in his third run of the game with a groundout in the fourth to give CWRU a seven-run advantage.

Chicago battled back, scoring two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth. The Maroons put the tying runs on the basepaths, loading the bases with two outs in the sixth, but first-year Zach Barnes ended the threat with a strikeout to close out the inning, leaving the runners stranded. After the first two batters reached in the seventh for Chicago to bring the potential tying run to the plate, Anderson took over on the mound and induced a pop-up before striking out the final two batters to lock down the win and record his third save of the year.

Anderson went two-for-three with a triple and a run scored in the game, while Andreyko was two-for-three with two runs scored.

Chicago starter John Butka suffered the loss, falling to 0-2 on the season.

The Spartans and the Maroons will wrap up their four-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 11:00 a.m.