BALTIMORE, MD- The #16 Johns Hopkins baseball team returned to the field after two days off to take on Juniata in a double header. The Blue Jays came in with a 7-0 record looking to continue their strong play so far in the 2023 campaign.
 
GAME ONE

• Johns Hopkins – 7, Juniata – 3
• Records: JHU (8-0), Juniata (2-4)
• Pitching Decision: W: Kieren Collins (1-0), L: Chase Alessandroni (1-2)
• The Short Story: A stellar pitching outing from senior Kieren Collins and another solid output from the Blue Jays offense helped the team get an early lead and they held it until the end for a 7-3 win.

How it Happened

• The Blue Jays had two runners in scoring position with two away in the bottom of the second when the lineup turned over to Isaiah Winikur. Winikur stayed poised a punched a base hit through the left side of the infield to plate Jimmy Stevens and Alex Shane to give JHU an early 2-0 lead. Winikur then forced the error on the base paths as he stole third base, with the throw from the catcher trickling into the outfield, allowing him to score and push the Blue Jays lead to three.
• Caleb Cyr would tack on another run to that lead as he hit a ball deep to left field that carried over the fence to push the score to 4-0. This was Cyr's third homer on the season which is currently tied for the most on the team. Stevens jumped in on the fun in the bottom of the sixth when he cranked his first long ball of the season, a two RBI shot to give Johns Hopkins a comfortable 6-0 lead.
• Kieren Collins earned his first win of the season, pitching seven strong innings in just his second start this year. Collins allowed just one run on three hits over the seven innings. He kept the ball on the ground, inducing 14 ground outs and made life difficult for the Eagles all afternoon.
• Juniata would pick up two runs in the top of the eighth after stringing a couple of hits together, but it would not matter as Cole Jefferson retired the side in order in the ninth inning to close out the 7-3 win.

 
GAME TWO

• Johns Hopkins – 9, Juniata – 3
• Records: JHU (9-0), Juniata (2-5)
• Pitching Decision: W: Matt Savedoff (2-0), L: Jack Dovidio (1-1)
• The Short Story: Jimmy Stevens drove in a career high four RBI to help Johns Hopkins erase an early deficit and come away with a second victory on the day, 9-3.

How it Happened

• After the Blue Jays grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Tripp Myers scored on a throwing error, the Eagles would jump out to their first lead of the day in the top of the third. Evan Mock, with two runners on base, snuck one over the right field wall to put Juniata on top 3-1. It was the first homer hit by an Eagles player this season.
• Shawn Steuerer would make sure that the Blue Jays were not behind for long. In the bottom of the inning, Steuerer lifted one out over the right field wall, keeping in just inside the foul pole, to tie things up at three. Steuerer also has three long balls on the season now.
• JHU took the lead back in the next inning with two outs in the inning, when Dylan Whitney broke for home on a wild pitch and slide in safely at the plate to give his team a 4-3 advantage.
• Jimmy Stevens stepped into the box in fifth inning with two runners on and a chance to extend the lead. He proceeded to hit a missile out to left center field that carried over the wall for Stevens second home run on the day. For good measure, Stevens picked up an RBI single to score Dillon Souvignier in the next inning to give JHU an 8-3 lead over the Eagles.
• Despite giving up the home run, Matt Savedoff earned the victory with five solid innings on the mound, punching out seven batters and only walking one.
• The JHU bullpen stepped up in the later innings as they shut the door from the sixth inning on to close out a 9-3 win. Between Ben Keever, Hyunwoo Roh and Ryan Anderson, Juniata did not have a single hit in the final three innings and struck out seven times.

Of Note

• The Blue Jays are off to their best start since the 2004 season when they did not lose their first 33 games of the year.
• JHU has now hit multiple home runs in six of its nine games so far this season, and they have done so in four of its last six.
• The Blue Jays are now 4-1 all-time against Juniata with the two wins on Saturday. JHU has scored at least six runs every single time they have met the Eagles.

Up Next

• Quick turnaround for JHU as they will take on #3 Eastern Connecticut tomorrow at Babb Field with first pitch scheduled for 1 pm.