May. 2, 2005

Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, PA -- The 21st-ranked Johns Hopkins baseball team rallied from a 6-0 deficit to win game one and jumped out to a 16-0 lead in game two as the Blue Jays swept host Ursinus by scores of 11-6 and 16-2 in Centennial Conference baseball action Sunday afternoon. The Blue Jays secured a spot in the upcoming Centennial Conference Tournament with the sweep and improve to 27-6 overall and 12-4 in the Centennial. The Bears fall to 11-22-1 overall and 9-7 in the Centennial. The Bears likely need to win their final two games to earn a spot in the Centennial Tournament.

Hopkins trailed 6-0 entering the top of the sixth inning in game one before exploding for five runs to jump back in the game. Mike Durgala singled home Paul Long, who had doubled, to plate the first run before the Blue Jays got the big hit they needed. Eric Nigro and Paul Winterling both reached on errors and senior Mike Spiciarich hit a grand slam to pull the Blue Jays within one at 6-5.

Andrew Bail came in with one out in the bottom of the sixth and retired two batters before Long's ninth home run of the season with one out in the seventh tied the score at 6-6. Ursinus got two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but Bail struck out pinch hitter Brendon Evans to force extra innings.

The Blue Jays wasted little time jumping on freshman Pat Higgins in the top of the eighth as they scored five runs on five hits to put the game away. Paul Winterling doubled home Durgala and later scored on a passed ball before Long provided the final touch with a three-run home run to close out the scoring. Bail allowed one hit in the bottom of the inning before closing it out to improve to 4-2 on the year.

Ursinus touched up Blue Jay starter Jason Hochfelder for all six runs in just 1.1 innings. Ryan Regensburg capped a four-run first with a three-run home run, singled home a run in the second and later scored on an error to help build the 6-0 lead. Ryan Kuhlman and Patrick Steffee combined to allow just two hits over the next four innings to keep the Blue Jays close. The five-run fifth ignited an offensive show that would see the Blue Jays score 24 runs over a seven-inning span bridging the first and second games.

The late-game heroics needed in game one were not necessary in the nightcap as the Blue Jays scored seven runs in the first, two in the second and fourth in the fourth to take control early.

Ian Christie and Brian Harris both ripped two-run singles, Durgala added an RBI-double and Gary Rosenberg singled home a run to highlight the seven-run first. Rosenberg and Winterling both scored on wild pitches in the second and Dave Montegari added a three-run home run to fuel the four-run fourth. Montegari added a two-run home run in the sixth and the Blue Jays tacked on a run in the seventh to build the lead to 16-0.

Ursinus got a two-run single in the ninth from Jon Sheppard to avoid the shutout.

- 30 -