WOOSTER, Ohio – John Carroll University scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning, highlighted by Ryan Pacyga's second homer of the game, which plated three and turned out to be the difference in the Blue Streaks' 7-6 victory over The College of Wooster at a warm and overcast Art Murray Field Wednesday.
Wooster (16-5), ranked No. 4 in this week's D3baseball.com top-25 poll, had broken a 3-3 tie during the bottom of the eighth with a three spot. Shane Swearingen put the Scots back ahead with a solo shot to left, marking his first home run of the season, and later Matthew Johnson cleared the right-center fence for a two-out, two-run homer.
With a 6-3 cushion and Matt Barnes on the mound after striking out the side in order in the eighth, Wooster appeared on its way to the win. John Carroll (13-7) got to Barnes, though, as John Hastings opened the ninth with a single up the middle, and after an out, Tim O'Brien and Chris Larry added back-to-back, sharply-hit singles, the second scoring Hastings.
Next, Pacyga homered in his second consecutive at bat, this time driving the ball well out to right-center and giving his squad its second lead of the game.
The Scots attempted a rally of their own in the bottom of the ninth, as Greg Van Horn and Derek Wyman both reached with two outs via a walk and hit by pitch, respectively, but Chris Koller, who had come on during the eighth, induced the next batter into a game-ending fly out.
Wooster tallied one run in the first on a Stu Beath sacrifice fly and another in the fifth on the first of two Matt Groezinger solo home runs on the day.
The Blue Streaks got their first score, an unearned run, in the sixth, and then took advantage of another extra out in the seventh when Pacyga belted a two-out, two-run dinger following an error.
Trailing 3-2, the Scots struck right back with Groezinger's second round-tripper in the seventh and then the three-run eighth.
Wooster was unable to take advantage of a strong outing from starting pitcher Josh Stidham. The sophomore right-hander went 5.0-plus innings in his second career start, giving up just one unearned run on two hits and two walks while striking out four. Barnes dropped to 3-2 on the season.
Offensively, Johnson led all players with three hits (3-for-5), two of them going for extra bases as the leadoff hitter opened the Scots' offense with a double to complement his eighth-inning home run. Groezinger (2-for-5) and Swearingen (2-for-5) also posted multi-hit games.
Pacyga and Tom Hickey each went 2-for-4 for John Carroll.
Wooster is scheduled to return to action on Thursday with a visit to long-time regional rival and No. 8 Marietta College (18-4).