April 7, 2012

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Junior Jeff Lynch went a combined 6-for-8 at the plate with a home run and double and drove in four runs to lead the Johns Hopkins baseball team to a doubleheader sweep of Centennial Conference foe, Swarthmore, at the JHU Baseball Diamond Saturday afternoon.

In the opening game, senior hurler Alex Eliopoulos went eight strong innings to earn his fifth win of the season and kept the Swarthmore batters at bay, striking out seven on the afternoon and allowing just three runs.

The Blue Jays, now 16-8-2 on the year and 7-1 in the conference, put up two runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead on an RBI double from junior Mike Kanen to score classmate Kyle Neverman. Lynch collected his first RBI of the day with a single to centerfield to bring home Kanen.

The score would hold at 2-0 over the next five innings as Eliopoulos faced the minimum number of batters from the second to the fifth inning, allowing just two bases runners but quickly erasing both runners with double play balls.

The Blue Jays tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth to push their lead to 3-0. After leading off the frame with a single to left field, Kanen moved into scoring position on an error by the Garnet pitcher on a failed pickoff attempt. Kanen came around to score on Lynch's third hit of the game.

The Garnet, who moved to 16-9 on the season and fell to 2-6 in the Centennial, got their first run of the day on an RBI single from Rory McTear to bring home Tim Kwilos. Swarthmore added two more in the top of the seventh to tie the game at three. The Garnet would use a sacrifice fly to center and an RBI single to knot the game.

The Blue Jays battled back and scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to retake the lead. Neverman led off the eighth with double to left center before being moved to third on a fly ball from senior Aaron Borenstein. Lynch reached base for the fourth time in the game on a fielding error by the shortstop that allowed Neverman to cross the plate and give Hopkins a 4-3 lead. After stealing second to move into scoring position, Lynch came around to score on a double from sophomore Mike Denlinger. Junior Ryan Zakszeski singled to left to put runners on the corners for sophomore Richie Carbone who lined a single to left to score Denlinger and give the host's a 6-3 lead.

Senior closer Aaron Schwartz came into pitch for Eliopoulos in the ninth and set the Garnet down in order to earn his fifth save of the season.

The second game of the doubleheader was held close through the first four frames as the Blue Jays and Garnet exchanged runs through the first three innings before the Jays took a 3-1 lead after four innings. That would be as close as the ball game would get.

The Blue Jays exploded for seven runs on five hits and a Garnet error in the bottom of the fifth to take a 10-1 lead. Junior Adam Weiner and Neverman led off the inning with a walk and single to put the first two runners on. Kanen moved the runners up a base on a sacrifice bunt for Borenstein who sent a ball to center to score Weiner. Lynch reached on a dropped fly ball by the center fielder to load the bases. Zakszeski drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Neverman and keep the bases full of Blue Jays for Carbone. Just as he did in the Blue Jays ninth-inning rally to defeat McDaniel last Thursday, Carbone delievered with a bases-loaded double down the left field line to bring around Lynch and Borenstein and put the game out of reach for the Garnet. The Blue Jays weren't done, however, with Denlinger coming up to bat as a pinch hitter. Denlinger drove the first pitch he saw in the game far over the right field fence for the third Blue Jay home run in the game and give Hopkins a 10-1 lead.

The Garnet added a run in the top of the sixth and seventh but could not put together any type of rally as the Blue Jays answered with two runs in the sixth and run in the eighth to put the game away. Freshman Justin Drechsel came out in the bottom of the ninth as the Blue Jays' fifth pitcher of the game and threw a 1-2-3 inning, getting Sean Bryant to chase the last pitch of the game.

Sophomore Tyler Goldstein earned his third-straight win on the hill for the Jays, going 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two. Goldstein worked himself out of trouble in the fifth after loading the bases with one out, the right hander got a shallow fly ball to center and caught Danny McMahon watching the third strike to leave the bases loaded.

To go along with Lynch's six hits, Denlinger collected four RBIs and Kanen and Neverman each drove in four runs while Neverman crossed the plated five times.

The Blue Jays will return to the diamond when they travel to Gettysburg, PA to face the Bullets to kick off a home-and-home series on April 10. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:30 pm on Tuesday.