Oberlin College baseball has had a rather uneventful week because of the weather. Due to the snow and then the rain, Oberlin has had no games since last Wednesday. The last game played, however, was possibly the high point of the entire season. The Yeomen had the privilege of playing Case Western Reserve at the home of the Cleveland Indians, Jacobs Field.

In the meeting the Yeomen snagged their seventh win of the season in this non-conference match-up. The Yeomen beat Case Western 7-3 in a relatively low scoring game.

On playing at Jacobs Field sophomore Jonah Teitlebaum said, “It was amazing. Ever since I was a kid, it has been a dream of mine to play on a major league field. I had a chance once when I was younger but I got sick, so it was great to have a second chance.”

Sophomore Jaremy Rich agreed, saying, “It was awesome. The field conditions were amazing. It was nothing I could have expected when I first came to Oberlin and began playing baseball....As a pitcher, I am used to throwing on these dirt mounds that just fall apart, and this was just amazing.”

Senior Ryan Drews gave the Yeomen yet another stellar start, pitching a full eight innings, surrendering five hits and three runs, only one of which was earned, while striking out two. Senior Ryan Squatrito came out in the ninth to close out the game and pitched one inning of one-hit ball, allowing only two base runners.

Offensively the Yeomen were lead by senior third baseman Andrew Caprariello who went three-for-four with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Junior first baseman Joe Sheehan also chipped in with a double of his own and one RBI as he also went three-for-four.

The heart of the Oberlin lineup was monstrous in this game, as the three through seven hitters went a combined 9-18 with six RBIs and six runs scored, while the rest of the lineup scattered only one hit.

As Rich put it, “This was a very important win for the team. It was a very crucial game to win due to the Hiram series before. We hadn’t been playing up to our potential. This could be a turning point. I think and hope things will start to go better.”

The Yeomen have made it clear that they are able to win games, but they seem only able to win when Drews toes the rubber. He is the only pitcher on the team with an ERA under five and is one of two pitchers who holds opponents to a batting average of under .300. He leads the team in innings pitched with 44.2, 11 more than anyone else, and also leads the team in strikeouts with 29.

The rest of the Yeomen pitching staff need to find a way to replicate these kinds of numbers. Hopefully with time and experience the young pitchers will be able to perform like this in the future. On the question of future pitching Teitlebaum answered, “I hope someone can step up and take Drews’ spot. Next year, we don’t really have a big flame thrower as our definite number one, but hopefully some of our younger guys will be able to step up.”

Hopefully, the weather will clean up soon so the Yeoman can step back on the field with the momentum of this big win.