Case Western Reserve University freshman left-handed pitcher Nick Denove allowed just one earned run on three hits, pitching his fifth complete game of the season and leading the Spartans to a 4-2 win over Otterbein University in the opening game of the NCAA Division III Regionals at Art Murray Field in Wooster, Ohio on Friday afternoon.
The win raises the Spartans' overall record to 23-13, as the team will advance to the winners' bracket game against the fourth-seeded University of Rochester on Saturday at noon. Otterbein dropped to 26-17-1 overall, and will take on Wooster in elimination game on Saturday A homerun by Otterbein leadoff hitter Ben Beachy in the top of the first, his sixth of the year, gave the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead.