|
Hopkins Rally Stuns Diplomats, 7-6, In Bottom Of Tenth
May 1, 2009
BALTIMORE, MD - The Johns Hopkins baseball team made it happen in the bottom of the tenth as junior John Swarr sent a fly to right field to score two runs and avenge the 6-5 deficit with a 7-6 finale over Franklin & Marshall. The ball was dropped in right field and Brian Youchak and David Weinstein each scored to give Hopkins (23-14) a win in the first round of the Centennial Conference Tournament. The Diplomats (22-14-1) will move into the second round with one loss in the double-elimination tournament. Nine innings was not enough to produce a winner in the first round of the Centennial Conference Tournament. Franklin & Marshall scored one run in the top of the tenth inning as Bill Murray led off the inning with a solo home run to left field. The Blue Jays responded in the bottom of the inning with a Ryan Biner single to start the bottom of the tenth. David Weinstein entered as a pinch-runner for Biner at first before Youchak singled to put Weinstein at second. Weinstein and Youchak both advanced a base after a failed pick-off attempt from the pitcher. Brendan McCreary intentionally walked James Teta to load the bases with no outs. Brendan Walsh pinch-hit for Sam Wernick and lined out to first baseman for the first out before a strikeout gave the Diplomats two outs. With bases loaded, Swarr ripped a ball to right field and as the ball dropped out of Shea Moriarty's glove, Weinstein and Youchak both scored to end the game, handing JHU the 7-6 victory.
Hopkins started early, scoring its first run in the bottom of the first on a Ryan Biner single to center field. Dan Merzel came across the plate for the RBI and the 1-0 lead. With one out in the second, Jesse Sikorski smacked a homer to right field for his 10th of the year to bring the Blue Jays up 2-0. Franklin & Marshall plated one in the fourth as an Erin Bornstein single put Moriarty home. In the sixth Jason Anderson homered to left field to make it 2-2, but Ryan Biner came through with a long ball to left to keep Hopkins up, 3-2. Johns Swarr hit one of his own for the third solo home run of the game for the Blue Jays in the seventh as Hopkins led 4-2 after seven. In the eighth inning, Bolyard singled to center field with one out and stole second before Zach Small singled down the right field line to score Bolyard. A double play ended the inning with one left on base. The Diplomats were clutch in the ninth, coming through with three runs to tie the score at 5. A single by J.T. Triantos put two men on base as Matt Will singled up the middle to score pinch-runner Drew Atkins. Andrew Hanson followed with a single to right field to score Triantos. A double-play left a runner on third for Anderson's RBI-single to tie it at five. Two strike outs and a fly-out in the bottom of the ninth sent the game to an extra inning. Ryan Biner led the Blue Jays at 3-for-4 with one home run. Senior Chez Angeloni threw 9.0 innings and struck out five. Junior Greg Harbeck came in for the 10th inning and earned the win to move to 3-1 on the season. The Blue Jays' three home runs against the Diplomats put them two away from tying a single-season Centennial Conference record of 70 home runs, set by JHU in 2005. Hopkins travels to Ursinus for the remainder of the Centennial Conference Tournament this weekend. With the Ursinus-Haverford match up still undecided, the Blue Jays will face the winner of that game in the second round in Collegeville on Saturday, May 2. |
   |
