May 28, 2010

Box Score | Photo Gallery

GRAND CHUTE, WI - The top-ranked Johns Hopkins baseball team fell, 3-2, to #6 Heidelberg in both teams' opening game of the 2010 DIII College World Series. Heidelberg scored two in the sixth but saw the lead disappear when Hopkins scored two in the eighth inning. A lone Student Prince run in the ninth would be the difference in the game. The Blue Jays are now 43-6 on the season while Heidelberg is 41-6.

Hopkins will play at 1:15 pm CT tomorrow while Heidelberg will play at 7:45 pm CT. Hopkins will play the loser of Shenandoah vs. Illinois Wesleyan while Heidelberg will play the winner.

Heidelberg threatened to open the scoring in the top of the third with runners on the corners and nobody out. Eliopoulos induced a groundball back at himself in which he cut the runner down at the plate. He then got a pop fly to right and a groundball to second base to keep the score knotted at zero.

Hopkins then threatened itself in the bottom of the inning by putting the first two runners on base. Sam Wernick (Dallas, TX/Dallas Jesuit College Prep) then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to put Blue Jay runners on second and third with just one out. The Student Prince starter, Ethan Holt, then obtained a key strikeout and a groundout to escape unscathed.

Heidelberg loaded the bases in the top of the fourth but could not push a run across. Both teams went down 1-2-3 in their respective halves of the fifth inning.

The Student Princes broke the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning. Alex Monroe was hit by a pitch and Andrew Buelow singled on a drag bunt to the Blue Jay second baseman. Derek Andrzejczak then moved both runners over on a sacrifice bunt. Monroe then scored on a RBI groundout by Elvin Williams and Buelow scored on a single by Ricardo Lizcano that just snuck past a diving second baseman.

Hopkins put runners on the corners in the bottom of the seventh with just one out. John Swarr (Radnor, PA/Conestoga) doubled and Stephen Bejsiuk (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) singled, both to left field. Heidleberg then went to its bullpen and brought in their closer, Andy Lowe, who leads the nation with 12 saves on the season. Lowe threw just one pitch in the inning and induced a 5-4-3 double play.

The Blue Jays pushed two runs across in the bottom of the eighth to tie the score at 2-2. Wernick started things off using his blazing speed to reach on an infield single. Wernick scored on a double down the right field line by Chris Huisman (Davidsonville, MD/Archbishop Spalding). Brian Youchak (Pittsburgh, PA/Vincentian Academy) then doubled over the right fielder's head to score Huisman.

Steve Decker led off the ninth inning with a line-drive single through the middle. Gar Keen then laid down a sacrifice bunt followed by a Willie Brechun single just past a diving third baseman. With runners on the corners Jason Lash singled up the middle to score Decker. Ryan Scherich (Torrance, CA/Canyon), who entered in relief in the inning stranded the bases loaded to get Hopkins up to bat in the bottom of the ninth down, 3-2. The Blue Jays, however, could not push a run across in the final frame.

Lowe took the win for the Student Princes to improve to 5-1 on the season after blowing the save in the eighth inning, but shutting the Blue Jays down in the ninth. Lowe pitched 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and had two strikeouts. Holt threw 6.1 innings of shutout baseball in the no decision while striking out one batter and allowing six hits.

Eliopoulos took the loss for the Blue Jays to fall to 10-1 on the season, allowing three runs on 11 hits in 8.1 innings of work. He had three strikeouts and three walks.

Buelow had three hits for the Student Princes while Lizcano and Decker each had a pair of hits. All of Heidelberg's hits were singles.

Youchak had two hits, including a double, on the day. Youchak now has 96 hits this season, which puts him in sole possession of the Hopkins single-season record. Swarr had a single and a double as well for the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays will play the loser of Shenandoah and Illinois Wesleyan at 1:15 pm CT on Saturday, May 29 in an elimination game.