WINTER HAVEN, FL – The No. 3-ranked Johns Hopkins baseball team (11-0) faced Mount Union (4-5) in its second game of their spring break, Friday morning, defeating the Purple Raiders 5-2. Drew Grumbles pitched a gem, moving to 3-0 on the season, recording a season-high 11 strikeouts over 6.0 innings of work, surrendering three hits and two runs – both unearned.
 
The matchup was a pitcher's duel heading into the fifth inning, before Caleb Cyr set the tide in the Jays favor recording a single up the middle to begin the inning. Back-to-back-to-back singles from Hopkins plated the first run of the game via a Clay Hartje single. Jake Siani then laid a perfect bunt down advancing the runners to second and third, with the second Blue Jay run scoring by way of a Dylan Whitney sacrifice fly. Before the inning commenced, Hartje scored from third on a wild pitch.
 
Shawn Steuerer, with the first pitch he saw in the sixth inning, mashed a home run to left field, extending the Blue Jay lead to four and his hit streak to six games. The Purple Raiders returned the favor in the bottom-half, with a 2-out, 2-run home run from Jaired Lehman, cutting Hopkins' lead in half (4-2).
 
Mount Union threatened again in the seventh, loading the bases with one out. Tyler Sugrim played hero, retiring the next two batters, allowing Hopkins to escape danger.
 
Alex Shane added an insurance run in the top of the eighth via a Cyr sacrifice fly to left field, before Sugrim shut the Purple Raider offense down over the final two innings, earning the save (1) and securing the victory for Hopkins.
 
The Blue Jays are back in action Saturday, March 15 in the third game of the RussMatt Invitational in Florida, in a top five matchup, taking on fifth-ranked Endicott with first pitch scheduled for 10 AM.
 
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins

• Back-to-back-to-back singles to start the fifth inning opened the scoring, with Hartje driving in the games first run. Hopkins tacked on another two runs before the inning was over.
 
• The Blue Jay offense extended a slew of hit streaks, with Hartje extending his streak to four, with both Cyr and Steuerer recording their sixth straight game with a hit. Dillon Souvignier, with his base knock, has recorded a hit in nine of 11 games this season.
 
• Grumbles earned the win, moving to 3-0 on the season, striking out a career-high 11 batters, surrendering just three hits and two unearned runs over 6.0 innings of work. Sugrim earned the save after inheriting a one-out bases loaded jam in the seventh from William Boneno.