BALTIMORE, MD – The No. 3/4 Johns Hopkins baseball team opened Centennial Conference play with a doubleheader sweep of Franklin & Marshall on Saturday afternoon at Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium. The Blue Jays took the opener, 3-1, before erupting for a 13-3 run-rule victory in game two to improve to 19-4 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
Hopkins edged out a pitcher's duel in game one before its offense came alive in the nightcap, plating 13 runs to secure the sweep.
Game 1: JHU-3, F&M-1
The opener lived up to its billing as a pitcher's duel, with the Blue Jays doing just enough at the plate to secure the win.
Starting pitcher
Thomas Cancian set the tone, retiring the side in order in the first inning. However, Franklin & Marshall struck first in the second, using a two-out RBI double to take a 1-0 lead.
The advantage was short-lived.
Clay Hartje evened the score in the third with a solo home run that just snuck inside the foul pole. An inning later,
Lukas Geer gave Hopkins the lead for good with a line-drive solo shot to make it 2-1.
Cancian continued to deal, working efficiently through the Diplomats' lineup. Franklin & Marshall threatened in the sixth, loading the bases, but Cancian induced an inning-ending ground-ball double play to preserve the lead.
Hopkins added an insurance run in the eighth. With the bases loaded after Geer was hit by a pitch,
Shane Keough delivered an RBI single to center to extend the lead to 3-1.
Dylan Zucker then closed the door in the ninth, retiring the side in order to earn his fourth save of the season.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
• Cancian (2-1) earned the win, allowing one unearned run on four hits and three walks over 6.0 innings while striking out seven
• Seven Blue Jays recorded a hit with Keough leading the way with two hits, an RBI and a walk.
•
Luke Baker has reached base safely in 17 consecutive games and is riding an 11-game hitting streak.
• The Blue Jays have scored three or more runs in 36 different innings through 22 games.
• Hopkins has hit multiple home runs in 11 of its 22 games this season and at least one in 17.
Game 2: JHU-13, F&M-3
The nightcap told a very different story, as the Blue Jays' offense erupted after a quiet first game.
Franklin & Marshall again struck first, as Tanner Wolpert launched a solo home run in the opening frame. The Diplomats added another run in the second on an RBI double to take a 2-0 lead.
Hopkins quickly responded and never looked back, scoring in each of the next five innings. A four-run second inning flipped the game in the Blue Jays' favor. Four consecutive hits fueled the rally, with
Keiffer Ary driving in two runs with a single.
Hamilton Adams followed by giving Hopkins a 3-2 lead, and
Alex Shane capped the inning with an RBI groundout to make it 4-2.
The Diplomats pulled within one at 4-3 in the third, but that would be their final run of the game.
From there, Hopkins dominated, scoring nine unanswered runs. Ary extended the lead to 6-3 with a two-run home run inside the right-field foul pole. Shane followed with a two-run blast to straightaway center and
Damian Brown added a two-run double to push the lead to 10-3.
Hartje and Baker added back-to-back solo home runs in the fifth, and Adams capped the scoring with an RBI single in the sixth to make it 13-3 and trigger the run rule.
Defensively, Hopkins sealed the win in dramatic fashion. With the run rule in jeopardy, Shane robbed Wolpert of a home run in center field to preserve the margin and complete the sweep.
Cole Jefferson (3-1) earned the win in relief, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out two. Starter
Ryan Anderson recorded a career-high eight strikeouts.
Hopkins returns to action on Tuesday, March 31, when it travels to Gettysburg. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
• Jefferson (3-1) earned the win with 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out two.
• Anderson struck out a career-high eight batters.
• Seven Blue Jays recorded multi-hit games, led by Ary with three hits, four RBIs and a two-run home run.
• Baker has reached base safely in 18 consecutive games and is riding a 12-game hitting streak.
• The Blue Jays have scored three or more runs in 38 different innings through 23 games.
• Hopkins has hit multiple home runs in 12 of its 23 games this season and at least one in 18.
Gallery: (3-28-2026) Baseball vs. Franklin & Marshall
