BALTIMORE, MD – The No. 4/5 Johns Hopkins baseball team swept Cortland in a Saturday doubleheader, improving to 8-2 on the season with a 6-5 win in the opener and a walk-off 6-4 victory in the nightcap at Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium.
Damian Brown secured the sweep with a walk-off two-run home run in Game 2.
Game 1
Starting pitcher
Kieren Collins needed just eight pitches to retire the side in order in the first inning. Hopkins threatened in the frame as
Jacob Harris advanced to third, but Cortland pitcher Tyler Blake made a spectacular catch to rob
Alex Shane of a potential RBI single.
The Red Dragons opened the scoring in the second with a leadoff home run to take a 1-0 lead. Cortland later loaded the bases with two outs, but Collins induced a ground ball to escape further damage.
The Blue Jays broke through in the fourth with five unanswered runs.
William Jaun ripped an RBI single through the right side to bring home the Blue Jays' first run.
Lukas Geer followed with an infield single to plate another, and
Clay Hartje added an RBI as the inning continued.
Shane Keough capped the rally with a two-run triple, extending the Hopkins lead to 5-1.
Cortland chipped away late, scoring two runs in the sixth on back-to-back doubles to cut the lead to 5-3. The Red Dragons added another run in the eighth to pull within one at 5-4.
Geer responded immediately, leading off the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run to push the Blue Jays' advantage to 6-4.
Collins earned the win (3-0), tossing 5.0 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out two.
Michael Yousef recorded the save, pitching the final 3.0 innings and surrendering two runs on three hits.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
• Two Blue Jays recorded multi-hit games. Geer led the offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Keough finished 1-for-3 with a two-run triple.
Game 2
Starting pitcher
Ryan Anderson ended the first inning by picking off a runner at second base to make way for the Blue Jay offense. Harris led off the bottom half with a double and later scored on an RBI double from Shane to give Hopkins an early 1-0 lead.
Anderson was sharp in his third start of the season, keeping the Red Dragons off balance throughout the afternoon. In the third inning,
Luke Baker extended the Hopkins lead by stealing home to make it 2-0.
Anderson carried a shutout into the seventh before walking two batters to open the inning.
Cole Jefferson entered in relief, and an errant throw on a Cortland bunt allowed the Red Dragons to score, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Jefferson recovered to retire the side and preserve the lead.
Cortland tied the game in the eighth with a ground-rule double that brought home the tying run to make it 2-2. Later in the inning, the Red Dragons capitalized with runners on base to score two more runs and take a 4-2 lead.
Trailing by two in the bottom of the eighth, Hopkins mounted a comeback. The Blue Jays loaded the bases with no outs for Jaun, who grounded into a double play, allowing Harris to score and cut the deficit to 4-3. Geer followed with a line-drive single to right field that scored Baker and tied the game at 4-4.
Keough then singled to put the winning run on base, bringing Brown to the plate. Brown delivered the dagger, launching a walk-off two-run home run to secure the sweep and send the Blue Jays to an 8-2 record.
Johns Hopkins returns to action on Sunday, March 8, when it hosts second-ranked Salisbury at Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
• Two Blue Jays recorded multi-hit games. Shane led the offense, going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI. Harris also tallied two hits and a double.
• With his eighth-inning single,
Alex Shane recorded his 200th career hit in a Hopkins uniform.
•
Gavin Simurdiak (1-0) earned his first win of the season with 1.2 scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit. Anderson delivered a strong start, pitching 6.0 innings and allowing one unearned run on two hits while striking out three.
