March 1, 2002

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - The Johns Hopkins baseball team used eight pitchers and timely hitting to open the season with a 7-5 win over visiting Messiah this afternoon. The Blue Jays won their fifth straight season opener and 10th in the last 12 years. Overall, Hopkins has a 59-46-2 record on opening day. Messiah fell to 0-5 on the year with the loss.

Hopkins got on the board in the first inning as sophomore outfielder Craig Cetta (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) smacked a two-run single. After a solo home run by Adam Anselmo for the Falcons, JHU increased its lead to 4-1 in the third inning as senior third baseman John Krivonak (Canfield, OH/Canfield) drew a bases-loaded walk and senior catcher Tom Prevas (Baltimore, MD/Gilman) followed with an RBI single.

After a solo home run from Brad Mease in the top of the fifth cut the lead to 4-2, the Blue Jays responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-2 advantage. Senior second baseman Karl Sineath (West Chester, PA/West Chester Henderson) brought home sophomore catcher Doug Hitchner (Haverford, PA/Episcopal Academy) with a double and Sineath scored on a single from sophomore shortstop Tim Casale (West Hempstead, NY/Chaminade).

Messiah came back in the top of the seventh inning as five JHU errors led to three unearned runs. Hopkins was able to hold on as sophomores George Merrell (Bloomsburg, PA/Central Columbia) and Sven Stafford (Evanston, IL/Evanston) pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings, respectively. Senior Jason Setty (Mt. Pleasant, TX/Mt. Pleasant) picked up his first win of the year and the 13th of his career as he allowed just one run in two innings of work. Stafford was credited with the save.

The Blue Jays return to action Sunday as JHU hosts fifth-ranked Salisbury University at 1:00 p.m.

Baseball Line Score R - H - E
Messiah (0-5) 5 - 5 - 2
Johns Hopkins (1-0) 7 - 11 - 5

Battery
Messish - Engle, Mindrebo (4), Derstein (7) and Regan, Stone (7)
Johns Hopkins - Setty, Righter (3), Lynch (4), Brown (5), Overstreet (6), Berger (7), Merrell (8), Stafford (9) and Prevas, Hitchner (4), Eberle (9)

Extra Base Hits
2B - Sineath (JHU), Winterling (JHU)
HR - Anselmo (MC), Mease (MC)