March 9, 2012

Box Score

STEVENSON, MD - For the second time this season, the Johns Hopkins baseball team saw a game come to an end without a team being declared a winner as Hopkins and Stevenson tied 6-6, on a blustery Friday afternoon.

The Blue Jays (2-2-2) jumped out to an early lead after senior Aaron Borenstein lined a ball to left field for the first hit of the game in the top of the first. After Borenstein moved into scoring position on a passed ball, junior Jeff Lynch doubled him home to give Hopkins a 1-0 lead.

Hopkins tacked on two more runs in the top of the second as junior Ryan Zakszeski led off the inning with a double to left center and stole third. Classmate Chris Wilhelm worked the count full and drew a walk to put runners on the corners for sophomore Richie Carbone. The centerfielder worked a 1-2 count, and after fouling a pitch back, sent the next offering up the middle to score Zakszeski. Junior Kyle Neverman reached on a fielder's choice that once again put runners on the corners with Wilhelm moving to third. After a successful double steal attempt in which Wilhelm scored and Neverman took second, the Blue Jays led 3-0 going into the bottom of the second.

Senior right-hander Alex Eliopoulos faced the minimum amount of batters through the first three innings, while striking out three batters. Eliopoulos gave up a single to the lead-off batter in the second, and after catching Jordan Wright looking, the hurler got Scott Merkel to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to get out of the inning. Eliopoulos set down the Mustangs (6-1-1) in order in the home half of the third. Stevenson stranded five runners over the next three innings and did not get on the board until the bottom of the seventh. Merkel came around to score on Brad Blum's single to cut the Blue Jay lead to 3-1.

Tony Prescott led off the Mustangs' eighth with a deep home run down the right field line to pull the home team to within one run. Stevenson went on to score three more runs in the inning off two hits and a costly Blue Jay error. The Mustangs led 5-3 going into the top of the ninth.

The Blue Jays would not go quietly however, and re-took the lead, 6-5. Carbone led off the inning with a single up the middle and junior Adam Weiner came out to run for Carbone. Second baseman Mike Kanen and Borenstein hit back-to-back singles to load the bases with one out for junior Jeff Lynch. Lynch took the first pitch he saw from the new Mustang pitcher to left field to score Weiner and Kanen. Sophomore Mike Denlinger singled to load the bases again and Zakszeski singled to left field to plate Borenstein and give the Blue Jays a 6-5 lead.

Senior Justin Anderson led off the home half of the ninth with a single and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Wright singled to right field and Anderson came around to score the tying run. Senior reliever Aaron Schwartz got a groundout and a strikeout sandwiched around a walk to close out the inning and due to darkness, the game ended with the score knotted at six a piece.

It is the second tie for the Blue Jays to open the season.

Lynch led the Blue Jays at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and drawing two walks. Carbone went 3-for-4 with three singles and drove in a run. Zakszeski finished the day with two stolen bases while Borenstein scored two runs. Eliopoulous went seven strong innings, giving up two runs, one earned on nine hits and two walks while striking out seven. Senior Ryan Scherich came out in relied and gave up three runs, on two hits and one walk and fanning two. Schwartz closed out the game in the ninth and gave up one run on two hits and struck out one Mustang.

The Blue Jays return to action when they travel to Washington, DC to face Catholic University of America on Monday, March 12. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 pm.