May 17, 2013

Box Score

MOOSIC, PA - Christian Spurr went 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Ramapo baseball team past Johns Hopkins, 3-1, in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament Friday afternoon at PNC Field. The defeat knocked the Blue Jays out of the tournament, finishing the season 37-10.

The contest featured a pair of complete game outings from starting pitchers Carter Burns and Frank Baldini. Burns fanned a career-high nine batters in the effort, while Baldini held the Blue Jays to just six hits and one run.

After striking out five batters through the first two innings, Ramapo finally got to Burns in the third as the nine-hole hitter John Capuano walked and stole second. Anthony Vinci then hit a shallow flare to center field that scored Capuano and gave the Roadrunners a 1-0 advantage.

Ramapo doubled its lead in the fourth as Christian Spurr led off the inning with a screaming double down the left field line. Chris Werr laid down a sacrifice bunt with the intention of advancing Spurr, but Chris Wilhelm fired an errant throw to first base allowing Spurr to score.

The Blue Jays answered in the bottom half of the inning, however, as a mixture of senior captains cut the deficit in half. A pair of singles by Ryan Zakszeski and Jeff Lynch to left field set the table for a Kyle Neverman RBI single through the left side.

The Roadrunners added an insurance run in the seventh as Capuano reached base again with a bunt single. After advancing to second on a sacrifice, Capuano scored his second run of the game after an RBI single to left center by Spurr.

Hopkins failed to get a runner to second base in the final three innings, and hit into three double plays during the game. Senior Adam Weiner finished 1-for-3 with a walk, while Zakszeski scored the lone run in the game.

The defeat marked the final game in a Blue Jay uniform for a senior class of nine players. The contingency made three NCAA Tournament appearances and won two Centennial Conferences titles.

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