April 21, 2011

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Junior Alex Eliopoulos allowed just one unearned run in seven innings to lead the Johns Hopkins baseball team to a 5-1 victory over visiting Washington College in the first game of a home-and-away series with the Shoremen on Thursday afternoon at the JHU Baseball Diamond. Hopkins improves to 19-11 overall and 12-3 in the Centennial Conference, while the Shoremen drop to 16-15 overall and 7-8 in the conference and find themselves on the outside looking in at the CC playoff picture.

Hopkins now sits alone at the top of the Centennial standings as Franklin & Marshall (19-13, 11-4 CC) dealt Haverford (26-6, 11-4 CC) a 6-3 loss on Thursday. The Blue Jays control their own destiny in determining the top seed in next weekend's conference tournament with just three conference games remaining.

Eliopoulos tossed his second strong outing in less than a week as he took a no-hitter into the top of the sixth frame, until freshman Ian Remington laid down a perfectly placed bunt down the third base line and outraced a one-hop throw by Eliopoulos to the bag at first for Washington's first hit of the day. The junior righthander held the Shoremen to just one unearned run on four hits while recording four strikeouts on the afternoon to improve to 6-2 on the year.

For a time Eliopoulos seemed destined to complete the no-no, as the Blue Jay defense came through with several stellar defensive plays to keep the possibility alive. In the fourth inning graduate student Steve Bejsiuk made perhaps his finest defensive play of the year at second base. Junior Ryan Normoyle blasted a grounder up the middle and Bejsiuk made a diving snag to his left and managed to quickly sling a throw to first for the out. In the fifth sophomore shortstop Kyle Neverman backed up a hard-hit ball that bounced off the glove of classmate Ryan Zakszeski at third and was just in time with the throw at first to complete another fine defensive play for JHU.

The Blue Jays crossed the plate once in the first, second and fourth innings, before notching two additional runs in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead. Hopkins loaded the bases with just one out in the opening inning, but were only able to come away with one run as sophomore Jeff Lynch sent a hard liner to center field for a sacrifice fly to give JHU a 1-0 lead.

In the second Zakszeski drew a one-out walk, junior Sam Wernick knocked a single up the middle and senior Anthony Venditti turned on a pitch from Washington sophomore starter Joe Kearney-Argow and sent it down the line in left to bring Zakszeski in from second for what would prove to be the game-winning run.

Hopkins was again able to load the bags in the fourth with just one out, but once again walked away with just one run to its credit. Neverman gave JHU a 3-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to center that knocked in Bejsiuk from third.

Graduate student Joe Borrelli and senior Jesse Sikorski led off the fifth with back-to-back singles and would both proceed to score as Lynch grounded out to the right side for his second RBI of the day and sophomore Zach Small tallied an RBI single to left to bring to score to 5-0.

The Shoremen threatened in each of the final three frames as they loaded the base paths with two outs in the seventh, put the first two runners on in the eighth and had the bases full in the ninth with one away, but JHU stymied any comeback attempt with key double plays in each inning.

Junior Aaron Schwartz retired three straight after entering in relief in the eighth, including a ground ball double play with nobody out and runners on first and second, while junior Sam Eagleson recorded the final two outs for Hopkins in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.

Kearney-Argow takes the loss for the Shoremen and drops to 3-4 in 2011. The sophomore righthander surrendered five runs on 10 hits while walking four and striking out three in seven innings.

Hopkins and Washington College will face off again on Friday, April 22 in Chestertown, MD. First pitch is set for 3:30 pm.