April 30, 2012

Box Score

SALISBURY, MD - The Johns Hopkins baseball scored four runs in the top of the eighth but could not over take Salisbury as the Sea Gulls slipped past the Blue Jays 11-6 in the regular season finale for Hopkins, Monday afternoon.

Down 10-2 going into the top of the eighth, the Blue Jays strung together three-straight hits to kick of the frame. Junior Mike Kanen singled down the right field line before junior pinch hitter Hank Sanders doubled to left field to put two runners in scoring position. Senior J.R. Santaniello came into pinch hit and reached on an infield single to third that brought home Kanen and put runners on first and third. After senior Scott Barrett walked to load the bases, sophomore Richie Carbone singled down the left field line to bring around Sanders and Santaniello. With two out, sophomore Frank Schiff singled to left field to load the bases once again for the Blue Jays and Barrett capped off the Blue Jay scoring as he crossed the dish on a passed ball.

Despite the strong come back, the Blue Jays (24-14-2) could not overcome the Sea Gulls (31-7), who plated their last run in the bottom of the eighth and held on to win, 11-6.

The Blue Jays scored first in the top of the first inning when junior Jeff Lynch roped a ball to left center for an RBI-double that brought home Kanen.

The Sea Gulls came back in the second and plated three to take a 3-1 lead. The Sea Gulls used five hits and a Blue Jay error to take the lead. All five hits in the innings were singles as Joey Jones singled to left field to score Nick Gentry to put the Gulls up 3-1.

Lynch led off the fourth inning with his second double of the game and was moved to third on a ground out from Barrett. Lynch came around to score on a ground ball from sophomore Mike Denlinger to pull the Jays to within one, 3-2.

Salisbury answered in the bottom of the frame however to take a 4-2 lead. Gentry led off the inning with a triple to right center and scored on a sacrifice fly to right.

The Sea Gulls would go on to score two more runs in the bottom of the fifth and put up four runs in the bottom of the seventh on two hits. Gentry delivered with a bases-loaded double to plate three runs and put Salisbury up, 9-2.

Salisbury plated its final run of the game on an RBI single from Nick Walls in the bottom of the eighth.

Senior Sam Eagleson suffered the loss on the mound for the Jays , going 6.1 innings, giving up 10 runs on 13 hits and two walks while Jeff Hoffman got the win for the Sea Gulls.

Kanen, Sanders, Lynch, Santaniello and Carbone all collected two hits for the Blue Jays while Carbone drove in a team-high two runs and Kanen scored twice.

Hopkins is set to host the conference championship tournament this weekend beginning on Friday, May 4. As the No. 1 seed, the Blue Jays will host No. 4 McDaniel on Friday in the opening round with the first pitch slated for 3 pm.