No. 1 Blue Jays Remain Perfect With Doubleheader Sweep Of Haverford

Hopkins improves to 28-0 overall and 13-0 in the Centennial Conference.

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Eric Nigro went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs in the 11-4 win Saturday over Haverford.

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April 17, 2004

Box Score

Baltimore, MD - The top-ranked Johns Hopkins baseball team remained undefeated by sweeping Haverford, 3-1 and 11-4, Saturday afternoon in Centennial Conference action.

The Blue Jays, who improved to 28-0 overall and 13-0 in the league, jumped ahead early in the opener as senior Tim Casale (West Hempstead, NY/Chaminade) led off the bottom of the first with a home run to right centerfield, his first of the season. Hopkins added a run in the third when senior Rob Morrison (Malibu, CA/Loyola) ripped a solo homer to right for his second round-tripper of the year.

The Fords, who fell to 16-9 overall and 5-8 in the conference got a run back in the fourth as Tim McClean led off the frame with a home run to left to cut the Blue Jay lead to 2-1. Haverford then loaded the bases with one out, but Hopkins junior starter Ryan McConnell (Lancaster, PA/Penn Manor) got Dave Werthan to ground into a double play to preserve the lead.

Junior Mike Durgala (Annandale, VA/Thomas Jefferson) led off the bottom of the sixth by reaching on catcher's interference, and after an out he advanced to second when senior Carl Ippolito (Ewing, NJ/Pennington School) singled through the right side. Senior Craig Cetta (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) then beat out an infield single, and junior Mike Spiciarich (Syosset, NY/Chaminade) followed with a sacrifice fly to center to score Durgala and make it a 3-1 game.

The Fords loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but McConnell got Rahul Munshi to pop out to second to end the game.

McConnell scattered eight hits, allowing just one run while striking out five, to post the complete game victory and move to 4-0 on the season. Haverford starter Travis Zier gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits while falling to 4-1 this year.

The Blue Jays wasted little time in taking control of the nightcap as Hopkins scored five runs in the bottom of the first.

Casale started the rally by singling to center, the fifth straight game he has led off the first inning with a hit. Senior Brian Morley (Tappan, NY/Don Bosco Prep) followed with a single to center, and after both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch, junior Paul Winterling (Glenelg, MD/McDonogh) walked to load the bases.

Durgala then worked a walk to force home Casale, and after two balls to Ippolito, Haverford starter Jeff Graupe was relieved by Justin Marlowe. Ippolito greeted Marlowe with a single to center to plate Morley, and Winterling scored when Cetta was hit by a pitch. Junior Eric Nigro (Randolph, NJ/Taft Prep), who finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, then singled to score Durgala, and Spiciarich followed with a sacrifice fly to center to drive home Ippolito with the fifth run of the inning.

Hopkins added two runs in the third when Cetta and Nigro hit back-to-back home runs, and after John Oh singled home Ben Einbinder to put Haverford on the board in the fourth, the Blue Jays put the game away with four in the bottom of the fifth.

With one out Nigro singled, and after sophomore Gary Rosenberg (West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield) walked, senior Bryan Eberle (Frederick, MD/Urbana) singled to score Nigro. After Donny Poster relieved Marlowe on the mound for the Fords, senior David Luongo (Nowalk, CT/Norwalk) walked and junior Brian Harris (Longwood, FL/Lake Brantley) singled to score Rosenberg. Sophomore Bryce Baumann (Oklahoma City, OK/Casady School) then singled to centerfield and freshman Rob Sanzillo (Katonah, NY/Somers) followed by getting hit by a pitch as Hopkins took an 11-1 lead.

Haverford scored three runs in the seventh, including two on a double by Ryan Frankel, off Hopkins freshman Ryan Lanpher (York, PA/Calvert Hall) to close the scoring.

Hopkins senior starter Matt Righter (Clarion, PA/Lawrenceville Prep) allowed just one run on four hits while striking out four and not walking a batter in the first six innings to improve to 4-0 on the season. Graupe picked up the loss for the Fords, dropping to 1-2 on the year.

The Blue Jays play a doubleheader at Swarthmore Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.