In a weekend that almost always proves rather crucial for the John Carroll Blue Streak baseball program as conference play looms large, two wins in three games — over Wisconsin Oshkosh and Transylvania University — are representative of the up-and-down nature of the product displayed by JCU in Lexington, Kentucky, on St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

In game one of the weekend against Wisconsin Oshkosh, the Blue Streaks claimed an important victory to get their trip going strong, scoring 11 runs, albeit by getting outhit 19-10. Seniors Aaron Zawadzki, Derek Penman and David Ferguson and freshman Justin Hanley each collected two RBIs, with Ferguson hitting his first home run of the season. The barrage of runs from the middle of the lineup was needed to compensate for five errors and 10 runs allowed by the Blue Streaks’ defense and pitching staff.

The defensive and pitching woes that were washed over by the Blue and Gold bats in game one continued to show themselves in game two of the weekend, this time against Transylvania University. Thirteen runs allowed on 18 hits from the Blue Streaks’ pitching staff created too high  a mountain to climb for the JCU bats, who scored only five runs on 10 hits. Senior Patrick Keohane continued his All-American-hopeful campaign, blasting a three-run homer to center field in the loss.

Game three turned into a must-win type of game for the Blue Streaks, who would look to avoid going 1-2 on the weekend, and in the process lose the momentum they gained as a result of their above-average Florida trip. Once again, the Blue Streak bats were the difference-maker, making up for Transylvania’s eight runs scored on 11 hits. The Blue Streaks scored 11 of their own on 16 hits, and the continued production from the team’s biggest bats will give head coach Mark Thibeault something to smile about, moving toward their next contest.

Keohane once again provided the spark for the Blue and Gold, going 4-5 with three runs scored. Sam Heaton continued his stellar start to his sophomore campaign, going 3-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Hanley, Ferguson and senior Joe Charpentier all supplied two more RBIs each.

The team’s seventh double-digit scoring performance in game three would help give the staff a better feeling moving towards their match against Oberlin College, scheduled for March 20, where they looked to fix their pitching discrepancies and defensive woes as they moved ever closer to conference play.

For now, the Blue and Gold can delight at the thought of two wins out of three on the weekend, and an overall record of 9-4 against quality opposition.