AUBURNDALE, FL – The No. 3/4 Johns Hopkins baseball team suffered its third loss of the season Monday morning in the opening game of the RussMatt Invitational, falling 4-3 to Endicott at Chain of Lakes Park after a lengthy weather delay. With the loss, the Blue Jays drop to 11-3 on the year.
Originally scheduled for Sunday, the game was suspended in the bottom of the second inning due to weather with Hopkins trailing 1-0. Starting pitcher
Ryan Anderson allowed a run in the top of the first but quickly settled in. After hitting the first batter in the second inning, Anderson retired the next three hitters in order, striking out two before play was halted.
When the game resumed roughly 18 hours later,
Thomas Cancian took the mound for the Blue Jays. Cancian struck out the first batter he faced before the Hopkins defense turned a double play to end the inning and bring the bats to the plate.
Hopkins quickly answered. In the bottom of the third,
Alex Shane lined an RBI single to left field to even the score at 1-1.
Cancian kept Endicott in check for much of his outing, retiring 12 of the next 18 batters he faced. However, trouble arose in the eighth inning when he issued a walk to his final batter, putting two runners aboard. Endicott's Brenden Walsh capitalized, launching a three-run home run to give the Gulls a 4-1 lead.
The Blue Jays responded in the bottom of the eighth.
Lukas Geer,
Clay Hartje and
Campbell Framke drew consecutive walks to load the bases.
Shane Keough then drove in a run with a groundout before
Damian Brown followed with a sacrifice fly, trimming the deficit to 4-3.
Hopkins threatened but could not push across the tying run in the ninth, as Endicott held on for the 4-3 victory.
The Blue Jays return to action later Monday, March 16, in the second game of their spring break trip when they face Rowan at Lake Myrtle Park. First pitch is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
• Cancian (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season but was strong through most of his outing. He pitched 5.2 innings, allowing two runs—both unearned—on three hits and three walks while striking out seven.
• With a single in the third inning, Shane extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
