Jarrod Mancine

A six-run sixth inning keyed The College of Wooster's 9-7 game-one victory Sunday afternoon, however, Case Western Reserve University bounced back for a 5-4 win in the nightcap to split the northeast Ohio foes' doubleheader at Nobby's Ballpark in Cleveland, Ohio.

Wooster (14-7) trailed 4-0 after two innings of the opener, then steadily got back into it with single tallies during the third, fourth, and fifth.

It was the sixth inning that proved to be the difference. Eddie Reese led off with a single and came home to tie the game on a Brendan Taylor double, the sophomore's third two-bagger in as many starts. Next, Craig Day found a hole on the left side for a single and Cal Thomay was hit by a pitch to load the bases, still with no outs. A Shane Gallagher sacrifice fly gave the Fighting Scots the lead (5-4) for the first time, followed by Ryan Miner beating out a bunt for an RBI single. And, the big hit may have come from Bryan Miller as he drove in two with a single and later scored the final run of the inning, thanks to an error, that made it 9-4.

Case Western Reserve (15-7) attempted to rally, plating two runs in the eighth and one in the ninth before Patrick Boyle stranded the tying run on first base. The freshman lefty struck out the only batter he faced for his second save.

Keenan White extended his perfect start to the season at 5-0. Wooster's starter went 7.0-plus innings, allowing four earned runs (six total) on nine hits and a walk, and he set down five on strikes.

Committing four errors, the Scots' defense let them down during the second game. Three of the miscues occurred in the third inning with the Spartans scoring two unearned runs for a 2-0 advantage.

Wooster cut the deficit in half during the top of the sixth when Jarrod Mancine drew a leadoff walk and eventually scored on a Johnathan Ray sacrifice fly, but Case Western Reserve answered with three during the home half of the frame, keyed by back-to-back doubles by Kerrigan Cain and Andrew Frey.

Trailing 5-1, the Scots made a comeback bid during the eighth and ninth innings. Thomay and Taylor provided RBI singles in the eighth, and in the ninth, Mancine drove a one-out triple into centerfield and Frank Vance made it a one-run game by doubling with two outs. The Spartans prevailed, though, with a game-ending strikeout.

Mancine was Wooster's leader at the plate with four hits on the day (4-for-9), while Reese (3-for-9), Ray (3-for-5), and Miner (3-for-6) each had three.

The Scots will play their sixth game in six days on Tuesday when they travel to Baldwin Wallace University (16-4) for a 4 p.m. first pitch.