BALTIMORE, MD – The No. 2/2 Johns Hopkins baseball team swept Wesleyan in a Friday doubleheader at Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium, taking the opener 8-3 before erupting for an 18-4 win in the nightcap. With the two victories, the Blue Jays improve to 15-4 on the season.
Game 1
Hopkins shook off any lingering rust quickly, needing just one inning to settle in before taking control.
Starter
Ryan Anderson was sharp early, retiring the first six batters he faced. The Blue Jays wasted little time backing him up, as
William Jaun singled to open the second and
Lukas Geer followed with a two-run home run to give Hopkins a 2-0 lead.
Wesleyan (3-9) chipped away with a run in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings to tie the game. The Cardinals strung together three hits and a sacrifice fly in the third, then evened the score at 2-2 in the fourth on an infield single. After Hopkins briefly regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth—when Jaun doubled and later scored on a ball put in play by
Aaron Bock that resulted in an error—Wesleyan answered again with a solo home run in the fifth to make it 3-3.
The Blue Jays responded in the sixth. Geer launched his second home run of the game, a three-run shot, to break the tie and give Hopkins a 6-3 advantage. The offense added insurance in the eighth, when
Shane Keough ripped a two-RBI single up the middle to cap the scoring at 8-3.
Gavin Simuriak (2-0) earned the win in relief, tossing 2.0 innings of no-hit baseball while allowing two walks and striking out three.
Dylan Zucker recorded his third save of the season, throwing 1.2 hitless innings with one walk and two strikeouts.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
• Simurdiak (2-0) picked up the win with 2.0 shutout innings; Zucker (3) added the save with 1.2 scoreless frames.
• Three Blue Jays recorded multi-hit games, led by Geer's 3-for-4 performance with two home runs and five RBIs.
• Hopkins has hit multiple home runs in nine of its 18 games this season and at least one in 14.
• The Blue Jays have scored three or more runs in 29 different innings through 18 games.
Game 2
Hopkins carried its momentum into the nightcap, breaking things open early and then burying any comeback hopes with a dominant late surge.
Starter
William Moell worked efficiently, inducing inning-ending double plays in both the first and second innings. The Blue Jays provided immediate run support, scoring three runs in each of the second and third innings to build a 6-1 lead.
In the second, three straight singles followed by an RBI groundout from
Jacob Harris put Hopkins ahead 3-0. An errant throw by the Wesleyan catcher in the third allowed
Alex Shane to score, and back-to-back hits from
Clay Hartje and Keough brought in two more runs.
Wesleyan answered with two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to trim the deficit to 6-4, but that would be as close as it would get.
The Blue Jays erupted for 12 unanswered runs to put the game away, highlighted by a seven-run sixth inning. Jaun delivered a two-run single, Hartje added an RBI knock and
Damian Brown followed with a run-scoring single.
Kieffer Ary punctuated the inning with a towering home run onto University Parkway, extending the lead to 15-4.
Hopkins tacked on one run in the seventh and two more in the eighth to finish off the 18-4 victory.
William Boneno (1-0) earned his first win of the season, allowing just two hits and one walk over 2.0 innings while striking out two.
Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, March 21 for the final game of the three-game series against Wesleyan. First pitch at Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
• Boneno (1-0) earned the win with 2.0 strong innings in relief.
• Six Blue Jays recorded multi-hit games. Ary led the way, going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, while Hartje added two doubles.
• Hopkins has hit multiple home runs in nine of its 19 games this season and at least one in 15.
• The Blue Jays have scored three or more runs in 32 different innings through 19 games.
