May 20, 2004

Box Score

Boyertown, PA - Johns Hopkins senior righthander Jeremy Brown (Baltimore, MD/McDonogh) scattered five hits while striking out 10 in a complete game shutout as the top-ranked Blue Jays defeated Juniata, 6-0, in the first game of the NCAA Division III Baseball Mid-Atlantic Regional Thursday afternoon at Bear Stadium.

Senior rightfielder Rob Morrison (Malibu, CA/Loyola) and junior third baseman Mike Spiciarich (Syosset, NY/Chaminade) each hit two-run homers for Hopkins, which will play the winner of the DeSales-St. Joseph's game Friday at 3 p.m.

The Blue Jays, who improved to 38-2 on the year, struck first in the bottom of the fifth. Senior leftfielder Craig Cetta (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) led off the frame with a single up the middle, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly by senior shortstop Carl Ippolito (Ewing, NJ/Pennington School).

Morrison led off the sixth by stroking a single up the middle, and after he stole second, Morrison moved to third when junior centerfielder Paul Winterling (Glenelg, MD/McDonogh) reached on a passed ball while striking out. Winterling then stole second before junior first baseman Mike Durgala (Annandale, VA/Thomas Jefferson) singled to rightfield to plate Morrison.

The Eagles, who dropped to 24-16, loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the seventh, but Brown struck out Troy Beaver to end the threat.

Senior catcher Doug Hitchner (Haverford, PA/Episcopal Academy) was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the seventh, and one out later Morrison blasted a homer to right, his third of the season, to put Hopkins up 4-0.

Cetta singled with one out in the eighth, and Spiciarich followed with a homer to left to close the scoring. Spiciarich now has five home runs in his last five games after not hitting any in the first 35 games of the year.

Brown, who improved to 9-0 on the season, retired the final seven Juniata batters to post his fifth complete game of the season. The shutout was just the second by the Blue Jays in the NCAA Tournament, as Hopkins blanked Upsala, 4-0, in the 1986 Regional.

Cetta finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored for the Blue Jays, while Morrison was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

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