BALTIMORE, MD – The No. 3/3 Johns Hopkins baseball team edged McDaniel, 6-5, in a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final outs Tuesday afternoon at Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium.
Dylan Zucker slammed the door for the Blue Jays, recording the final five outs to earn his sixth save of the season as Hopkins improved to 24-4 overall and 7-0 in conference play.
Starting pitcher
Michael Yousef (5-0) needed an inning to settle in, as McDaniel struck first in the opening frame. With the bases loaded, a hit-by-pitch gave the Green Terror a 1-0 lead. From there, however, Yousef found his rhythm. The right-hander retired nine consecutive batters—four by strikeout—on his way to a career-high 10 punchouts.
Hopkins' offense was quiet through the first three innings before
Damian Brown ignited the lineup in the fourth. Brown launched a two-run opposite-field home run to give the Blue Jays their first lead of the game.
McDaniel (20-9, 3-4) answered in the fifth, stringing together a fielder's choice, a well-placed bunt and a single to plate three runs and reclaim a 4-2 advantage.
The Blue Jays responded immediately—and decisively. In the bottom half of the fifth, Hopkins pushed across four runs to take control for good.
William Jaun delivered a two-run single up the middle to tie the game at 4-4. One batter later,
Lukas Geer followed with a two-run opposite-field home run to put Hopkins ahead, 6-4.
Yousef recorded his final two strikeouts in the sixth before exiting with two outs as he approached 100 pitches.
Cole Jefferson came on to get the final out of the inning and then retired the side in order in the seventh to preserve the lead.
McDaniel made one last push in the eighth. With runners on second and third and one out, Hopkins turned to Zucker for a five-out save. After issuing a walk to load the bases, Zucker allowed an RBI single that cut the deficit to 6-5. That would be the final damage. Zucker regrouped and retired the last five batters he faced to secure the win.
Hopkins returns to action Friday, April 10, traveling to Westminster to face McDaniel in the second game of the home-and-home series at Preston Field. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
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Michael Yousef (5-0) earned the win, tossing 5.2 innings while allowing four runs (three unearned) on six hits. He fanned a career-high 10 and hit three batters.
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Dylan Zucker recorded his sixth save of the season, retiring the final five hitters and striking out two.
• Two Blue Jays recorded multi-hit games, led by
William Jaun, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Lukas Geer and
Damian Brown each added two-run home runs.
• Jaun extended his hitting streak to 11 games and has recorded at least three hits in five of those contests.
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Luke Baker has reached base safely in 23 consecutive games and recorded a hit in 14 of the last 16 games.
• The Blue Jays have scored three or more runs in 50 different innings through 28 games.
• Hopkins has hit multiple home runs in 17 of its 28 games this season and at least one in 23.
Gallery: (4-7-2026) Baseball vs. McDaniel
