April 10, 2014

Box Score

READING, PA - Both teams were hot at the plate, but it was Alvernia who pulled away for the 14-11 victory over Hopkins Thursday afternoon. Junior Richie Ricciadri led the Crusaders at the plate with five hits, three runs and two RBIs, while senior Matt Patterson notched three runs and three RBIs on two hits. Junior Christopher Casey was impressive at the plate for Hopkins despite the defeat, becoming just the sixth Blue Jays since 2000 to notch five hits in a game. JHU drops to 14-8 on the season with the loss, while Alvernia improves to 18-6 with the victory.

It was a back and forth slugfest from the get-go, as Hopkins opened up the scoring with a run in the top of the first. Alvernia came back strong in the bottom of the inning, posting three runs to take an early 3-1 lead.

The Blue Jays answered back with their biggest inning of the game, notching four runs on three hits and an error to retake a 5-3 lead in the top of the second. After Richie Carbone, Mitch Weaver and Joe Conlon all reached base with one out, it was Casey who came through with a two RBI single to right center to tie it up. Colin McCarthy and Kyle Gillen kept the inning rolling with two more RBIs on a single and sacrifice fly, before a fly out finally got the Crusaders out of the inning.

Alvernia swung the momentum right back in its favor in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs on four hits to get ahead 6-5. Hopkins evened things up in the top of the fourth, as McCarthy tallied one of his four RBIs on the afternoon on a single center field.

The Jays carried that energy into the fifth, scoring two more runs on two hits to take an 8-6 lead. An opportunity for even more scoring was there with the bases loaded and only one out, but two straight strikeouts from sophomore LHP Louis Marotta bailed the Crusaders out with only a two run deficit.

Alvernia took both runs back in the bottom of the fifth, and once again the game was tied as Hopkins got to the plate in the top of the sixth. After the side was retired for Hopkins, the Crusaders began pulling away in the bottom of the sixth and seventh, using a pair of three-run innings to open up a lead.

The Blue Jays got a run in the seventh, and served junior reliever Kevin Becker-Menditto his first earned runs of the season in the top of the ninth, but it was not enough as Alvernia held off a late Hopkins charge to seal the victory.

Johns Hopkins baseball will return to Centennial Conference action tomorrow when the team travels to face McDaniel. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 pm in Westminster, MD.

Note: Hopkins scored its most runs in a loss since falling to Salisbury 11-24 on April 28, 2009.

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