April 11, 2005

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD -- Freshman Ryan Kuhlman (Hicksville, NY/Bethpage) allowed three runs and five hits in the first two innings, but then allowed just three hits and no runs over the final seven innings to lead the 23rd-ranked Johns Hopkins baseball team to an 8-3 victory over 14th-ranked College of New Jersey Monday afternoon. The win is the sixth in the last seven games for the Blue Jays, who improve to 16-5 with the win. The Lions fall to 20-6 with the loss.

The Lions wasted no time jumping to a 2-0 lead as Charles Iacono (Hamilton, NJ/Nottingham) and Rich Kropp (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) opened the game with back-to-back singles off Kuhlman. Iacono raced home on a RBI-single by Gerard Haran (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) and Blake Bullis (Delran, NJ/Delran) plated Kropp with a run-scoring double to account for the first inning scoring. Kuhlman worked his way out of the jam by striking out the side.

CNJ pushed the lead to 3-0 in the top of the second as Matt Zonies (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) scored on a sacrifice fly by Kropp. Zonies reached when he was hit by a pitch.

The Blue Jays started their comeback in the bottom of the second when Jonas Fester (Syosset, NJ/Syosset) singled home Gary Rosenberg (West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield) with two outs. Rosenberg had opened the inning with a walk and the Blue Jays left the bases loaded as New Jersey pitcher Bill Opel (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) was able to work out of trouble.

Opel couldn't get out of the bottom of the third without surrendering the lead as Eric Nigro (Randolph, NJ/Taft Prep) singled and scored on a groundout by Rosenberg and senior Mike Durgala (Annandale, VA/Thomas Jefferson) doubled and scored on Paul Winterling's (Glenelg, MD/McDonogh) two-run home run to left field to give JHU a 4-3 lead.

The Blue Jays chased Opel and gave themselves some breathing room with in the bottom of the fourth with three more runs - all of which came with two outs. Senior Paul Long (Oklahoma City, OK/Heritage Hall) started the rally with a two-out solo home run to left before Nigro walked and Durgala singled him home. Durgala later scored on a passed ball to polish off the inning for the Blue Jays.

Winterling added a solo home run in the seventh and Kuhlman took care of the rest. Other than the ninth, when the Lions got back-to-back singles to open the inning, Kuhlman was never in trouble again as he struck out 11 and walked just one to improve to 3-0 on the year.

Winterling led a nine-hit attack for the Blue Jays as he was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and the three RBIs. Fester and Durgala also picked up a pair of hits for Hopkins, which has won three of its last four games against the Lions.

Iacono, Kropp and Bullis all picked up a pair of hits for the Lions. Opel worked 3.2 innings and allowed seven runs and eight hits. He also struck out five, but walked five to fall to 1-1 on the year.

Johns Hopkins will next be in action on Tuesday at McDaniel, while the Lions will play at Dominican on Tuesday.

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