Bolyard's Fielders Choice Lifts Hopkins over Rutgers-Newark 8-7

Kealy Pitches Two Shut-out Innings to Lead Blue Jays to Victory

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Sophomore <b>Lee Bolyard's</b> fielders choice lifted Hopkins over Rutgers-Newark on Monday.

Sophomore Lee Bolyard's fielders choice lifted Hopkins over Rutgers-Newark on Monday.

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March 10, 2008

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Sophomore Lee Bolyard's (Burke, VA/Lake Braddock) fielder's choice in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Johns Hopkins baseball team to an 8-7 victory over Rutgers-Newark on Monday afternoon. The Blue Jays (2-0) got two solid innings of relief from senior Ryan Kealy (Ardsley, NY/Ardsley) to seal the victory.

Hopkins had entered the bottom of the eighth in a 7-7 tie with Rutgers-Newark. Senior Tony Margve (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) led off the inning with a single to left and sophomore Tim Rappazzo (Glen Arm, MD/Gilman) came in to pinch-run. After the Scarlet Raiders got the first out of the inning, Jack Winters attempted to pick off Rappazzo and the ball got away with Rappazzo advancing to third. After Rutgers-Newark intentionally walked the next batter to set up the double play, Bolyard then hit into a fielder's choice. The Scarlet Raiders got the out at second but Rappazzo was able to score on the play with what would be the winning run.

It didn't look like the Blue Jays would need late game heroics early on in this one. Hopkins opened the bottom of the first with back-to-back-to-back doubles to make it 2-0. With one out in the inning, senior Todd Emr (Westwood, NJ/Saddle River Day) knocked his first home run of the year to right center to increase the Blue Jay lead to 4-0.

Trailing 5-0 in the top of the fourth inning, Rutgers-Newark started its comeback. The first four Scarlet Raiders of the inning reached base either by walk or hit and it was a 5-3 game. Hopkins got the first two outs of the inning before an error and a wild pitch allowed Rutgers-Newark to tie the game at 5-5.

Hopkins went back on top 6-5 in the bottom of the inning on a single off the bat of senior Jon Solomon (Fairfax, VA/Riverdale Baptist). Rutgers-Newark took a 7-6 lead in the top of the fifth after Doug Ford hit a two-run home run to right center.

The Blue Jays got the tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning as senior Rob Pietroforte (Brooklyn, NY/Berkely Carroll) lifted a sacrifice fly to right field. That set the stage for the Blue Jays scoring the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.

The top three batters in the Blue Jay line-up were a combined 6-for-13 on the day with four runs scored and three RBIs. Solomon finished 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI while sophomore Brian Youchak (Pittsburgh, PA/Vincentian Academy) finished 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Senior Jonas Fester (Dallas, TX/Syosset) went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Kealy picked up the victory after throwing two innings with three strikeouts and one hit.

Ford went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored for Rutgers-Newark. Winters took the loss after going two innings and allowing two runs.

Hopkins returns to action on Friday, March 14 when it participates in the RussMatt Greater Phoenix Invitational. The Blue Jays will play Pitt-Bradford in a doubleheader with first pitch of game one set for 10:30 am MST.

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