Given that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, to Marc Thibeault and the John Carroll baseball team, today's sweep over the Capital Crusaders must look exquisite, bordering on resplendent, and nothing short of magnificent.

Statistics may tell a different tale, but the Blue Streaks will take their wins of 5-2 and 11-10 no matter how they were achieved.

Box Scores:  Game One  /  Game Two

John Moonan (Rochester, NY, McQuaid Jesuit) and Chris Koller (Buffalo, NY, St. Joseph Collegiate Institute) authored a pleasing pitching effort for the Blue Streaks in the opener. Moonan worked the first three and two-thirds innings and allowed two runs on three hits. Koller worked the last three and a third and allowed zero runs on two hits for his third win.

All the while, the JCU bats were productive in support. Ryan Pacyga (Forest Park, IL, Nazareth Academy) did damage with his seventh home run of the year, a two-run blast that staked his etam a 2-0 lead in the first inning. John Hastings (Pittsburgh, PA, Fox Chapel) and John Skomra (Buffalo, NY, Canisius) had RBI hits as part of a three-run third inning that put John carroll on top at the time by a 5-0 count.

In all, the Blue Streaks tallied 12 hits in the first game -- 11 singles and Pacyga's round tripper.

If offense is to one's liking, game two would have been an enjoyable affair. The two squads combined for 21 runs and 30 hits in a game that featured a back-and-forth volley of momentum.

John Carroll seemed destined to run away from the Crusaders when it built a 7-1 lead. A five-run second inning -- highlighted by a three-run homer by Skomra -- ignited the Blue Streaks effort. Two more runs in the fourth on RBI doubles by Pacyga and Bryan Robinett (Loveland, OH, Cincinnati Moeller) pushed the visitors' lead to 7-1.

But Capital would get right back into the contest when it string together seven consecutive hits after the first two batters of the fourth inning were retired. Five runs later, and Capital would trail by just a single run at 7-6.

The Streaks again appeared to have provided some cushion when they pushed across three runs in the sixth, but the Crusaders would ultimately tie the game in the seventh at 10-10.

After 20 runs through the first seven innings, the offenses suddenly went quiet, and the game moved into extra innings still tied at ten apiece.

JCU would get rolling again in the top of the tenth. Skomra singled up the middle to lead off, and was sacrificed over to second on a bunt by Tim O'Brien (Chicago, IL, Loyola Academy). After Brian Benander (Richmond Heights, OH, Cleveland St. Ignatius) singled to put runners at the corners, Pacyga drilled a single to the outfield to score Skomra with the winning run.

Ahead 11-10, Michael Eden got a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the tenth for his fourth win of the year. 

John Carroll is now 18-8 on the season overall and 6-2 in the OAC