BALTIMORE, MD –
Clay Hartje provided the ultimate postseason heroics on Friday afternoon, launching a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the 10
th inning to lift the eighth-ranked Johns Hopkins baseball team past Pomona-Pitzer, 7-5, in a thriller at Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium.
With the dramatic victory, the Blue Jays (35-9) remain unbeaten in the NCAA Baltimore Regional and advance to Sunday's Regional Championship game.
Hopkins turned to de facto ace
Michael Yousef, who delivered a masterful performance to put the Blue Jays in control early. Yousef held the Sagehens scoreless through his first five frames, retiring 14 of the first 18 batters he faced.
The Blue Jays offense rewarded him in the bottom of the third. After
Luke Baker and
Alex Shane drew back-to-back walks,
Lukas Geer crushed a line-drive, three-run home run to right field, putting Hopkins ahead 3-0.
Yousef flashed his composure in the fifth, striking out the final batter of the inning to strand a Sagehen runner at third. Pomona-Pitzer (32-13) finally broke through in the sixth, using an RBI groundout to trade a run for two outs and cut the Hopkins lead to 3-1.
After six stellar innings from Yousef, the Blue Jays handed the ball to
Nicolas Jos. Jos was dominant early, retiring five of his first six batters. However, a bit of bad luck on an infield single extended the top of the eighth for the Sagehens.
Cooper Berry took advantage, crushing a go-ahead, three-run blast to suddenly put Pomona-Pitzer ahead 4-3.
Down to their final out in the bottom of the ninth, the Blue Jays conjured up some Charm City magic.
Jacob Harris launched a clutch, solo home run to right, knotting the game at 4-4 and sending the regional matchup into extra innings.
The 10
th inning quickly turned into a battle of heavyweight punches. In the top of the frame, Pomona-Pitzer's
Kai Gonzaga led off with a solo home run to reclaim a 5-4 lead for the Sagehens.
Undeterred, the Blue Jays answered immediately in the bottom half.
William Jaun ignited the crowd with a solo blast of his own to tie the game at 5-5. After Geer drew a walk to keep the line moving, Hopkins' hottest hitter stepped to the plate.
Hartje didn't waste the opportunity, mashing a towering, two-run walk-off home run to seal the 7-5 victory and send the Hopkins dugout into a frenzy.
The Blue Jays will return to Babb Field on Sunday, May 17, for the NCAA Regional Championship game. Hopkins will face the winner of the elimination bracket at 11:00 a.m.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
•
Dylan Zucker (2-1) earned the win, tossing the final 2.1 innings. He allowed one run on one hit and no walks.
Michael Yousef pitched 6.0 strong innings, allowing just one run on five hits with four strikeouts.
• Seven Blue Jays recorded a hit, led by
Clay Hartje, who hit a walk-off two-run home run.
Lukas Geer added three RBIs.
•
William Jaun has recorded a hit in 25 of the last 27 games and has recorded at least three hits in seven of those contests.
•
Luke Baker has reached base safely in 36 of the last 38 games and recorded a hit in 24 of the last 31 games.
• The Blue Jays have scored three or more runs in 75 different innings through 44 games.
• Hopkins has hit multiple home runs in 28 of its 44 games this season and at least one in 36.
