May 4, 2013

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD -- Sophomore Colin McCarthy hit a first-pitch walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to send the No. 6 Johns Hopkins baseball team to the Centennial Conference championship series Saturday as it defeated Gettysburg, 9-8, in thrilling fashion. The Blue Jays must defeat the Diplomats twice to win the conference title, with the first game beginning at 12:00 pm.

After Hopkins (35-7) coughed up a two-run lead in the top of the ninth, McCarthy crushed pitcher Luke Lawrence's first pitch over the left field fence to post his first career walk-off homer in a Blue Jay uniform. The dinger completed a wild contest that included six lead changes in the final three innings.

After starting pitchers Carter Burns and Eric Hungerford got through the first two innings relatively unscathed, it was the Blue Jays who jumped on the board first with a three-run third inning. Kyle Neverman and Jonathan Hettleman hit back-to-back leadoff singles to begin the frame, as Richie Carbone singled through the right side to score Neverman.

The action continued as Ryan Zakszeski knocked in Hettleman with a single to center field. The Jays added their third run on a puzzling play when Hungerford was called for a balk as he attempted to intentionally walk Lynch. The balk automatically awarded home base to Carbone, much to the chagrin of the Gettysburg (30-13) dugout.

In what would become a common theme for the game, the Bullets answered in the fourth by manufacturing a run on a Nick Simon sacrifice fly to center field that scored teammate Al Posch.

Gettyburg then cut its deficit to one, 3-2, in the top of the fifth as Austin Davis walked and advanced to third on a Posch single. The Blue Jays recognized the Bullets' steal attempt at second and called a pitch-out, but Hettleman's throw bounced into center field and allowed Davis to score from third.

The Bullets continued to chip away at the Hopkins lead and tied the game in the seventh after a leadoff walk and single put two men on. Cam MacDonald advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, and pinch-hitter Cory Karagjozi hit a sacrifice fly to center.

Hopkins answered in the seventh inning as the bottom half of the batting order continued to make things happen. The leadoff man Neverman reached base after being plunked in the head, followed by a single to right field by Hettleman. Carbone failed to advance the runners with a bunt, but the pair advanced anyway after a passed ball. Both runners then scored when shortstop Tommy LeNoir threw away Adam Weiner's grounder to give the Jays a 5-3 lead.

No lead was safe in this contest, however, as the Bullets fired back with three runs of their own in the eighth, 6-5. Burns was chased after allowing a leadoff single to LeNoir, and Pat Cody followed with a walk. Ben Roessle scored LeNoir with a single through the right side, before MacDonald knocked in two runs on a single to right. Gettysburg threatened to score more runs, but Carbone made a phenomenal catch in center field to put an end to the damage.

The Blue Jays quickly reclaimed their lead as Jeff Lynch, Mike Denlinger and Chris Wilhelm loaded the bases with consecutive leadoff singles. Lynch then tied the game as the runners advanced on a wild pitch by Hungerford, before Neverman cleared the bases on a double through the left side.

Holding an 8-6 advantage heading into the ninth, Posch led off the inning with a single through the left side that was promptly followed by a LeNoir single. Weiner then made a huge play at second to turn a double play for the Jays. Just one out away from closing the game, the Bullets' Nick Simon blasted a two-run shot over the right field porch to square the game at eight -- setting the stage for McCarthy's walk-off.

Burns struck out seven and allowed three earned runs in seven innings, while Hungerford was tagged for seven earned in 7.1 innings. Hungerford had previously pitched a complete game against the Blue Jays less than two weeks ago on April 22.

Neverman exploded for two RBIs and two runs in the game, while Hettleman led the Blue Jays with three hits as the catcher.

Hopkins returns to action tomorrow at noon as it takes on Franklin & Marshall in the Centennial Conference championship series at the JHU Baseball Diamond. The Jays are 2-1 this season against the Diplomats, falling by a count of 3-0 on Friday.

For more information on the JHU Baseball Capital Project, contact Blue Jays Unlimited at bju@jhu.edu.

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