WESTFIELD, Ind. – The University of Chicago baseball team bounced back on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep of Case Western Reserve University.

The Maroons (2-1 record) picked up their first wins of the 2023 season while the Spartans dropped to 1-2.

Game One: UChicago 7, Case Western Reserve 5

CWRU scored once in the first inning, but that's all they would get against starting pitcher Dylan White. The Maroon senior hurler fanned six batters in 4.2 innings with four hits and one walk allowed.

UChicago utilized a big top of the fifth inning to put up four runs. After a leadoff triple by Devan Johnson, Jonathan Zeevi followed up immediately with an RBI double to center. Jackson Slipock was next to deliver, scoring Zeevi on a single. Another run came in on a double play, and Josh Peyton closed out the frame with an RBI single to left field.

The Spartans roared right back with three runs in the sixth and one in the eight to go up 5-4. However, the Maroons saved their best for last. In the top of the ninth inning, an error and two singles loaded the bases with no outs. Erik Rindner drew a walk to force in the tying run, and an error on the next play plated the go-ahead score. Richard Lu's subsequent RBI groundout made it 7-5.

Relief pitcher Hayden Leiderman (1-0 record) then sent down the final three CWRU batters in order to close out the win. The sophomore threw the final 4.1 innings (4 R, 2 K).

UChicago accrued 10 hits and one error. Slipock went 3-for-5 and Zeevi was 2-for-5 with one RBI apiece. Rindner went 1-for-2 with three walks and one RBI.

Game Two: UChicago 6, Case Western Reserve 1

Strong pitching was the story of game two, as UChicago limited the Spartans to four hits and one run over nine innings of play. In his collegiate debut on the mound, John Butka earned the victory with five innings of one-run ball. He struck out four with four hits allowed.

Phil Hogan followed up with three scoreless innings of his own which featured four strikeouts. Tyler Sarkisian fanned one in the ninth inning to close things out.

The Maroons plated three in the second inning to jump out to a lead they would not relinquish. They took advantage of three walks to get the rally going. Will Benner knocked an RBI single to left and Truman Pierson tallied an RBI groundout to go with a run-scoring passed ball.

Rindner knocked an RBI single to left in the top of the third, followed by Michael Gladden's fielder's choice RBI. An insurance run was added in the seventh inning on Jack Goldstein's infield grounder.

In the final stats, UChicago put up seven hits, four stolen bases and one error. Zeevi hit 2-for-4, and Braden Jirovec batted 1-for-2 with two walks and two steals.

NEXT GAME:

• Sunday, Feb. 26 @ 11:00 AM (ET) – UChicago vs. Case Western Reserve (at Westfield, Ind.)