WINTER HAVEN, FL – The No. 2-ranked Johns Hopkins baseball team faced UMass Boston (8-4) in the seventh game of their spring break, Thursday afternoon, defeating the Beacons 5-4. The Blue Jay offense scored four unanswered runs, taking the lead in the sixth inning.
The Beacons jumped out to an early lead, plating the first run of the ballgame via a first inning sacrifice fly, adding an additional run in the third on a double to center field. Hopkins (14-2) then plated a run of their own in the bottom half of the third, scoring
Jake Siani on a
Dylan Whitney double to center field.
UMass Boston added its third run of the game on an error by
Dillon Souvignier, before tacking on another the very next play. The Blue Jays then manufactured its second run via an error by the Beacons third baseman on a Whitney ground ball, scoring Siani.
Threatening with two on and one out,
Caleb Cyr loaded the bases with a single to left field. With two outs,
Jacob Harris came up with the clutch at-bat, roping a single to left field, knotting the game up at four after five.
The Blue Jay offense kept its foot on the gas, with the Beacons pitching staff walking the bases loaded in the sixth. With one out and the bases juiced, a wild pitch scored Siani – his third run of the game – giving Hopkins its first lead of the contest, 5-4.
Cole Jefferson earned the win, moving to 2-0 on the season, throwing two innings in relief, retiring 6-of-9 batters faced, striking out one. Tomas Cancian followed suit, shutting the Beacons down, retiring 5-of-6 batters faced throwing 1.2 innings, recording a strikeout and surrendering one hit.
Grant Meert made an appearance, securing the victory and save (1) for Hopkins, retiring the only batter he faced.
The Blue Jays are back in action Friday, March 21 in the eighth game of the RussMatt Invitational in Florida, taking on Saint John's University (MN) with first pitch scheduled for 9:30 AM.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
•
Caleb Cyr, with a base knock in the fifth, extended his hit streak to 10-straight games.
• Although
Drew Grumbles didn't have his sharpest stuff in his sixth appearance of the year, three out of the four runs he surrendered were unearned, hurling 5.0 innings, recording six strikeouts.
• Hopkins has trailed in 5-of-7 games on their spring break trip.