Chris Cairo was a combined 7-9 with three doubles and six RBI in a doubleheader split with Capital Saturday in Bexley
Box Scores:
Game 1 vs. Capital /
Game 2 vs. Capital
Were it not for a particularly rough inning in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday at Clowson Field in Bexley, Ohio, the John Carroll baseball team might be talking about a sweep instead of a split against Capital University in the OAC opener for both schools.
An eight-run fifth inning, which accounted for all of the first game runs for the host Crusaders, proved to be JCU's undoing in an 8-6 loss. The nightcap saw the Blue Streaks run out to a 10-0 lead before cruising to an 18-9 victory to earn the split.
John Carroll had built a 5-0 lead an appeared to be on its way to a relatively carefree win behind the pitching of Paul O'Donnell. Tim O'Brien had an RBI hit in the third,
Mike Carbo (Coral Springs, FL, J.P. Taravella) followed with an RBI double in the fourth, and then
Christopher Cairo (Darien, IL, Hinsdale South) and
Matthew Pangallo (Crystal Lake, IL, Prairie Ridge) each had RBI hits in the fifth to stake the Streaks their five run advantage.
But in the bottom of the fifth, disaster would strike. Aided by three Blue Streak errors, Capital would score eight times on five hits, chasing O'Donnell from the game and handing him his first loss of the season.
Cairo would finish the game 3-4 with two RBI and two doubles. JCU outhit the Crusaders, 12-10.
In the second game, it was all Streaks all the time as they would plate six runs in the first, one in the second and three more in the third. John Hastings keyed the first inning outburst with a bases loaded double that notched three runs.
After JCU raced ahead 10-0, Capital would cut the deficit down to 10-5, but the Blue Streaks answered with four more runs in the top of the fifth to ice the game away.
Cairo and
Tom Hickey (Orland Park, IL, Brother Rice) had huge offensive games, each going 4-5 with four RBI. Brian Benander scored five runs to tie a school record.
Chris Koller (Buffalo, NY, St. Joseph Collegiate Institute) worked 2.1 innings of relief to pick up the win.
John Carroll is now 10-4 overall and 1-1 in the OAC.
