April 19, 2008

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Behind clutch hitting and solid pitching, the #15 Johns Hopkins baseball team swept a doubleheader from Franklin & Marshall on Saturday afternoon and in doing so earned the number one seed and the right to host the upcoming Centennial Conference playoffs. The Blue Jays (27-4, 15-1 CC) won their tenth straight game, capturing game one 10-3 and completing the sweep with a 12-6 victory in the nightcap.

In game-one leading 4-3 heading to the bottom of the fifth, the Blue Jays put three more runs on the board to take a 7-3 advantage. Senior DH Matt Benchener (Newtown, PA/Holy Ghost Prep) had an RBI double in the inning while sophomore second baseman Lee Bolyard (Burke, VA/Lake Braddock) contributed an RBI single.

The Blue Jays would put three more on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning to make it a 10-3 game. Senior third baseman Todd Emr (Westwood, NJ/Saddle River Day) had an RBI single while Benchener plated two more, this time with an RBI single to center field.

Junior right-hander Chez Angeloni (Jenkintown, PA/La Salle University HS) picked up his fifth win of the season after going 4.1 innings and surrendering three runs. Sophomore Matt Wiegand (San Diego, CA/La Jolla) relieved Angeloni and shut the Diplomats down in the final 2.2 to preserve the victory. Matt Kalos took the loss for Franklin & Marshall after giving up seven runs in 4.1 innings of work.

In game-two, Franklin & Marshall took an early lead with a run in the top of the first. However an RBI triple from Emr in the bottom half of the inning evened the score at 1-1.

The Blue Jays went on top to stay with four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Senior shortstop Nate Adelman (Redwood City, CA/Menlo School) led off with a home run to left field. Two batters later sophomore right fielder Brian Youchak (Pittsburgh, PA/Vincentian Academy) drove a two-run shot over the center field fence. Hopkins capped the scoring in the inning with an RBI groundout from junior first baseman Ryan Biner (Crystal Lake, IL/Prairie Ridge).

Franklin & Marshall got two back in the top of the fourth before Hopkins put four more on the board in the bottom of the sixth to lead 9-3. Youchak had his second home run of the game in the sixth, this time a grand slam to right field.

Hopkins got three more runs in the bottom of the seventh to lead 12-3. Bolyard and Youchak had RBI triples in the frame to lead the Blue Jays. The Diplomats would plate three in the top of the eighth to make the final score 12-6.

Senior right-hander Joe Zaccaria (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset) earned his fourth win of the season after giving up three runs on eight hits in seven innings of work. Brad Andres took the loss for Franklin & Marshall as he surrendered eight runs in five innings.

Youchak went 6-for-9 at the plate in the two games combined. He had eight RBIs and four runs scored to go along with two home runs, a triple and a stolen base. Emr finished 4-for-8 with three RBIs and two runs scored while senior center fielder Rob Pietroforte (Brooklyn, NY/Berkeley Carroll) went 4-for-8 with four runs scored and extended his hit streak to 18 games. Benchener went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored in game one.

Hopkins returns to action on Monday, April 21 when it hosts the College of New Jersey at 3:30 p.m.

- 30 -