Come-from-behind victory propels JCU to second place

Senior outfielder Sean McCarthy went 2-3, scored a run and drove in a pair during the Blue Streaks comeback victory over Wilmington College.

Blue Streaks are on the verge of qualifying for the OAC Tournament for first time since the 2004 season

The John Carroll University baseball team has propelled themselves into the top of the Ohio Athletic Conference by winning three out of their last four conference games. 

After a thrilling comeback victory over Wilmington College, the Blue Streaks are currently 10-4 and are tied for second place with Marietta College. Both teams trail first place Heidelberg College by just one game.

The thrilling victory took place last Saturday when the Blue Streaks found themselves facing a seven-run deficit against the Quakers in game two of a doubleheader.

Senior pitchers Matt Fort and Brandon Kurtz struggled on the mound, combining to give up 13 hits and seven runs through seven innings. 

Down 7-0 and with just three hits through the first six innings, the JCU offense finally woke up in the seventh frame. The Blue Streaks scored four runs behind two-run singles by seniors Sean McCarthy and Joe Bott. 

Junior Chris Cairo’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth scored sophomore Tim O’Brien and tied the game at seven. 

After senior Marty Smith kept the Quakers off the scoreboard in the ninth, junior Ryan Lewis would draw a lead-off walk in the bottom of the inning. 

Lewis then stole second base, advanced to third on a single by junior Michael Krainz, and scored on a wild pitch, capping a six-run rally over the final three innings and giving John Carroll the sweep.

The Blue Streaks won game one in a less thrilling, more workmanlike effort.

Freshman Tony Evanko took the mound in game one and pitched a dandy. Evanko pitched all seven innings while giving up only one run on five hits. 

However, Evanko’s effort was matched by Brad Hatfield of the Quakers and the Blue Streaks found themselves deadlocked at one in the bottom of the sixth. 
Junior Russell Toth, pinch-hitting for senior Adam Sockel, sparked the inning with a lead-off double. 

Coach Marc Thibeault sent in  freshman Robert Cool to pinch-run for Toth. That move would pay off as Cool was able to use his speed to score on a sacrifice fly by Cairo and give the Blue Streaks a 2-1 lead. 

That extra run would be all Evanko would need as he managed to hold off the Quakers and escape game one, winning the contest by a score of 2-1.

With the victory, Evanko improved to an impressive 6-0 in this his freshman campaign. He lowered his earned run average to an OAC best 1.14.

In addition to his ERA, Evanko leads the league in opposition batting average with a .145 average against, wins with six, and fewest hits allowed with 19.

The Blue Streaks started the week in fourth place. They headed south to take on Otterbein College, hoping to separate themselves from the Cardinals. 

JCU used RBI doubles by juniors Matt Pangallo and Lewis in the second inning to help build an early 7-2 lead. However, Otterbein would rally to tie the score in the bottom of the fifth. 

Lewis would respond with a triple in the top of the sixth, then would score on a single by Krainz. 

Freshman Connor Connell would relieve Kurtz on the mound and earn his first win of the season. Connell was replaced by Smith in the bottom of the sixth and Smith would record his team-high fourth save of the season to preserve an 8-7 win.

The Blue Streaks would hand the ball over to Fort for game two against Otterbein.

After giving up runs in the first and second innings, Fort took control of the game by allowing only two hits until the sixth inning. 

Otterbein took a 2-1 lead into the fifth inning but would not be able to hold onto it for long. 

A ground ball by sophomore Bryan Robinett was misplayed, allowing Pangallo and Sockel to score and give JCU a 3-2 lead. 

Fort preserved the lead until the bottom of the ninth. 

After Fort surrendered two singles in a row with one out, Smith came on to replace Fort on the hill with two men on.

 
A ground out advanced the runners to second and third, followed by a hit batsman to load the bases. 

Just one out away from victory and the sweep, Smith would surrender a walk-off two-run single, delivering JCU a 4-3 defeat. 

It was a loss of firsts for the Blue Streaks, as Fort suffered his first loss of the season and JCU lost the second game of a doubleheader for the first time on the season.

JCU then had the chance to shake off the loss with a non-conference doubleheader at neighborhood rival Notre Dame College last Thursday. 

Lewis’ solo home run was the lone highlight in the first game as NDC prevailed 7-1. 

Freshman Michael Eden got the start in game two and pitched four scoreless innings en route to a 3-0 victory. 

Robinett gave the offense a boost with two RBI’s in the top of the third and Smith earned his league-leading fifth save of the season.

After non-conference games against Case Western Reserve University and Allegheny College, the Blue Streaks will return to league play on Saturday against Mount Union College.

The Purple Raiders will be looking to get back into the OAC race. Mount Union is currently in fifth place in the OAC, with the top four teams qualifying for the postseason tournament.

After two more non-conference games with Oberlin College and The College of Wooster, the Blue Streaks will face Heidelberg at home.