One of the hottest teams in the region extended its win streak on Sunday.
 
John Carroll improved its streak to a program-best 12 straight games with a doubleheader sweep against Wilmington at Schewickert Field.
 
The Blue Streaks needed late offense in the first game after the Fightin' Quakers tied the score at five. Tyler Gentile would deliver a two-out, two-run single in the eighth to help JCU to a 7-5 win in the first game. Drew Doring and Aaron Lapaglia would combine on a two-hitter in the Blue Streaks' 9-2 win in the second game of the twin bill.
 
John Carroll improved to 14-3, 4-0 OAC with the wins while Wilmington fell to 3-15, 0-4 OAC.

Game One
John Carroll 7, Wilmington 5
 
John Carroll's string of lights out starting pitching continued. A late surge from the guests turned the strong start into a no decision. The Blue and Gold would rebound to keep the win streak intact and take the 7-5 win in game one.
 
Junior left-hander Brandon Maddern turned in another dominating outing. The southpaw fired six innings of three-hit shutout baseball. Maddern did not allow a hit until a jam two-out single in the third inning from Wilmington's No. 9 hitter Keith Hayes.
 
John Carroll continued to get on the board first. The Blue Streaks took advantage of three Fightin' Quaker errors in the first inning to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Tyler Gentile laced a one-out single to right to bring in Bobby Sabatino. The JCU designated hitter advanced all of the way to third on a Wilmington error that allowed David Crowley to come in to score.  Mark Huddle would reach on an error with Gentile coming in to score on the play.
 
"It's always nice when you have a lead," said head coach Marc Thibeault. "It makes things a little bit easier when you're on the hill. You can stay on the attack and not worry about one little mistake beating you when you have a little bit of a cushion. Our guys did a good job scoring those runs early. Maddern was again in control."
 
The Blue Streaks pushed their lead to 5-0 in the third inning. Mike Raschilla and David Lykens reached on back-to-back one-out hits to start the rally. Jacob Schriner drove both in lacing a bloop single to left.
 
Wilmington scored its first two runs of the contest in the seventh inning. Mike Orahood clubbed a one-out, two-run double to the left field corner. Jake Robinson made it a 5-3 game ripping a two-out double down the right field line.
 
The Fightin' Quakers tied the game in the eighth inning. Max Ramsey tied the score reaching on a fielder's choice. Earlier in the inning, Clay Cleaver came in to score on a wild pitch from sophomore Mark Materise.
 
John Carroll answered back with two runs of its own in the bottom of the frame. Gentile came through with the big hit. The junior laced a two-out, two-run single into right to put JCU in front 7-5.
 
Said Thibeault, "That just shows the character by staying in the game for nine innings. Tyler came up with that big hit backside which was really good to see."
 
Materise (3-0) picked up the win for the Blue and Gold. The right-hander pitched two innings of relief. Mathis Newman worked a one-two-three ninth inning to pick up his second save on the year.
 
Gentile led the Blue and Gold at the plate. The designated hitter went 2-for-5 in the first game with three runs batted in.
 
Game Two
John Carroll 9, Wilmington 2
 
Hits yielded by Doring have been few and far between this year.
 
JCU's senior right-hander combined with Lapaglia to fire a two-hitter in the Blue Streaks' 9-2 win in the second game of the twin bill.
 
The Grafton, Wis. native fired six innings of one-hit baseball to improve to 5-0 on the year. Doring struck out nine on the afternoon allowing two runs (one earned).
 
Lapaglia finished off the Fightin' Quakers with three innings of one-hit relief to pick up his second save of the year.
 
"They did a good job," said Thibeault on his pitchers' performance. "They threw strike one. We pitched to contact early in the count. We didn't throw that many pitches which was good to see. We played good defense behind them."
 
Wilmington's Derrek Peters was equally as impressive through two innings with five strikeouts to his credit. The Blue Streaks' hitters would get to the Fightin' Quakers' right-hander in the third.
 
Sabatino started the inning with a double down the left field line. The second baseman and Gentile would both come in to score on Huddles' one-out triple to the warning track in right center. The JCU shortstop made it a 3-0 game coming in to score on Raschilla's RBI groundout.
 
"Mark kind of gave us some life with the triple," said Thibeault. "It was a tough day to hit with the conditions. Those are the things (the cold and wind) you're going to have to face. Both teams had it and fortunately, we were able to win a few more pitches today."
 
 
Wilmington's Roenick Whitney cut John Carroll's lead to 3-1 in the top of the fourth drilling a 0-1 pitch to the left field corner. That would be Doring's lone mistake of the game.
 
John Carroll put the game out of reach with a five-run fifth. The Blue Streaks' first six hitters of the inning reached based. However, only two reached via hits as Wilmington's pitching staff would walk in two runs and hit a batter forcing in a run. The outburst pushed JCU's lead to 8-2.
 
The Blue Streaks' capped their scoring in the sixth receiving singles from Gentile and Raschilla with the latter plating the run.
 
Sabatino (three), Huddle and Raschilla all finished with multiple hits for the Blue Streaks in the second game.
 
John Carroll returns to action with a 4 p.m. single, nine-inning game at Allegheny on Wednesday, April 1.