March 18, 2012

Box Score

PHOENIX, AZ - The Johns Hopkins baseball team split its morning/afternoon doubleheader on its second day of its spring break trip, falling to Wisc. - La Crosse, 9-5, in the morning game while battling its way back and exploding for a season-high 20 hits to defeat Minot State (ND), 14-9, in the second game of the day.

In the second game of the day of the doubleheader, the Blue Jays (4-5-2) and the Beavers (5-16) traded runs in the first inning before Minot State (ND) got out to a 3-2 lead after three full innings. Hopkins took the lead in the top of the fourth on three runs off three hits and a Beaver error. Junior Chris Wilhelm and sophomores Jonathan Hettleman and Adam Weiner strung together three-straight singles to load the bases before the Beavers could record an out. Sohpomore Richie Carbone reached on an one-out fielder's choice that plated Wilhelm. Hettleman was able to come around on a Beaver error before sophomore John Maxwell scored Weiner on a groundout to second.

The Beavers tied the game in the bottom of the inning with two runs on four hits. Sophomore Tyler Goldstein was able to work himself out of a two-on, one out jam by getting Mike Turcott to go down on strikes and inducing a groundout from Andrew Roach. The game was knotted at five after four innings of play.

A two-run home run in the top of the fifth from senior Scott Barrett that scored junior Hank Sanders gave the Blue Jays a 7-5 lead before Minot State put up two runs in the home half of the fifth and another in the bottom of the seventh to take a slim 8-7 lead after six complete frames.

The Blue Jays and the Beavers traded runs in the seventh inning to give Minot State a 9-8 lead going into the eighth inning. With two on and one out in the top of the eighth, junior Kyle Neverman came out to pinch hit and doubled home Maxwell and Carbone to give the Jays an 10-9 lead. Classmate Jeff Lynch followed suit with a pinch-hit RBI double of his own that brought around Neverman and pushed the lead to 11-9 going into the bottom of the eighth.

Weiner moved over from shortstop to second in the bottom of the eighth and snared a potential extra base hit out of the air for the second out of the inning before reliever senior Aaron Schwartz induced a groundball to third to finish out the inning.

Hopkins added three more insurance runs in the top of the ninth to push its lead to 14-9. Weiner picked up his fourth hit of the game with a one-out single and stole second to put himself in scoring position for senior Mike Musary. Musary singled Weiner home before Carbone singled to put two runners on. Neverman hit his second double in as many at bats to bring around Musary and Carbone for the final two tallies of the game and give the Blue Jays a comfortable five-run cushion. Schwartz worked his second-straight 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the ninth to pick up his first win of the season.

Weiner led the day at the plate with four hits while scoring three runs; Neverman went 2-for-2 and drove in four runs in the win.

The Blue Jays opened the day falling to UW-La Crosse, 9-5.

Hopkins gave up four runs over the first two innings on five hits and a Blue Jay error. Down four runs going into the bottom of the second, the Blue Jays plated three runs in the home half of the second and another two runs in the third to take a 5-4 lead. Junior Chris Vonderschmidt singled home sophomore Mike Denlinger before Neverman hit a two-out two-run single to bring around Vonderschmidt and freshman Craig Hoelzer in the bottom of the second. Hopkins plated two runs in the third on an RBI-triple from Denlinger that plated Lynch and a sacrifice fly from Hoelzer that allowed Denliger to come home.

UW-La Crosse got two back in the top of the fourth to re-take the lead, 7-5, and they never looked back. The Eagles scored twice on three hits in the fourth and plated three more in the top of the sixth on four hits and two errors to take a 9-5 lead.

Denlinger led the day at the plate for the Blue Jays going 3-for-4, while scoring three runs and driving in one. Neverman went 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs.

Johns Hopkins continues its spring break trip as the Blue Jays take on Wesleyan on March 18 in Phoenix, AZ. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 pm MST.