An explosion occurred at Schweickert Field on Sunday, April 11.

No, not one of any threatening proportions but one of offensive magnitude, where a combined 49 runs were scored in only 15 innings of play.

John Carroll’s baseball team split the twin-bill with crosstown rival Baldwin Wallace on Sunday by scores of 13-9 and 15-11, respectively. The Blue Streaks took the loss in the first game but not without noise. 

The Blue Streaks scored six runs in the first three innings, getting on the board in the second with a Landon Glaser double. In the third, Glaser tallied another RBI with a bases-loaded single. BW walked in two runs in the inning and threw wild to score Bennett Cavaretta.

The Yellow Jackets would score the next seven runs. Despite JCU making it a 9-8 ballgame in the bottom of the seventh and adding on a Glaser home run in the ninth, the Blue Streaks never fully recovered from the devastating effects of the BW offense.

After the seas calmed for the break in between games, the alarms sounded again as John Carroll piled on 10 runs literally right off the bat.

Henry Haracz tripled to start the first, subsequently scoring on a fielding error to put JCU on the board.

After two straight singles, Justin Hanley homered, giving the home team a 4-2 lead.

John Carroll continued to pile on runs with a Cavaretta double and more Hanley RBIs in the first. The outpouring of offense was the most seen in the first inning in over a decade.

“Offense is clicking; that’s something we have to have consistently,” said the Blue Streaks’ skipper Bobby Bell. “We have to continue to put the ball in play because when the ball is in play, good things happen.”

Amidst the chaos of the ensuing storm, BW guided themselves back to safety by scoring the next seven runs to pull within one run.

However, a Hanley double and a Jake Connery single extended the JCU lead to 12-9 in the fourth.

With darkness looming and rain in the skies, the game was called in the sixth after John Carroll rang up three more runs.

“Going against BW, we know that every time we play them, it’s going to be a battle,” said the Blue Streaks’ skipper Bobby Bell. ”So to come out and win the weekend was huge for us to get us back on track.”

As for Hanley, his four-hit, six RBI performance marked the first time he had ever achieved those feats in his career.

“Hanley has been a dude since the day he stepped on campus,” added Bell.  “When he comes out and has a day like that, it’s almost expected. Every time he’s at the plate, I have so much confidence in him.”

JCU now moves to 10-8-1 on the year and will face Mount Union for two doubleheaders this upcoming weekend, April 17-18.