EASTLAKE, OH – The eighth-ranked Johns Hopkins baseball team struck first but couldn't hold off a surging Baldwin Wallace offense, falling 11-4 on Friday morning in the opening game of the 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship at Classic Auto Group Park.
With the loss, the Blue Jays (38-11) move into the elimination bracket and will face the loser of the Denison/East Texas Baptist matchup tomorrow, Saturday, May 30, at 10:00 a.m.
Making his fifth career Division III World Series appearance, graduate student
Kieren Collins provided early stability on the mound for the Blue Jays. Collins kept the Yellow Jacket offense at bay through the first three frames, retiring nine of the first 10 batters he faced to allow Hopkins to build an early advantage.
After being set down in order to start the game, the Blue Jays broke the ice in the top of the second.
William Jaun launched a lead-off, solo home run to put Hopkins on the board.
Jacob Harris added to the fireworks in the third, crushing a towering blast to right field to extend the lead to 2-0.
However, Baldwin Wallace (37-10) answered back quickly and seized the momentum. The Yellow Jackets pulled even in the bottom of the fourth when
Matt DelDuca hit a two-run homer to dead center, knotting the score at 2-2. An inning later, a sacrifice fly allowed Baldwin Wallace to take its first lead of the day at 3-2.
The Yellow Jackets blew the game open in the bottom of the seventh, pushing five runs across the plate to extend their cushion to 8-2. The damage was done entirely via the long ball, starting with a solo shot from
Mario Escano and capped by a
Sean Kolenich grand slam. Baldwin Wallace tacked on another run in the eighth to make it 9-2.
Jaun provided a late spark for the Blue Jays in the top of the eighth, driving a double into the gap to bring home his second run of the day and narrow the deficit to 9-3. However, the gap proved too large to overcome.
Baldwin Wallace added a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to stretch the margin to 11-3. Refusing to go quietly, Hopkins loaded the bases in the top of the ninth and pushed a final run across, but the rally halted there to cement the 11-4 final.
The Blue Jays return to Classic Auto Group Park tomorrow, Saturday, May 30, for a win-or-go-home elimination game at 10:00 a.m.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
•
Kieren Collins (7-1) absorbed the loss, surrendering five runs on eight hits with five strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.
• Three Blue Jays recorded multi-hit games, led by
William Jaun, who drove in three runs on a home run, double and walk.
Alex Shane also registered a pair of hits.
• Jaun has recorded a hit in 30 of the last 32 games and has recorded at least three hits in seven of those contests.
Luke Baker has reached base safely in 41 of the last 43 games.
• Hopkins has hit multiple home runs in 32 of its 49 games this season and at least one in 40. The two home runs the Blue Jays hit boost this season total to 111, which is the second-best total in Division III history and just three shy of the record of 114, which JHU set in 2023.
Gallery: (5-29-2026) Baseball vs. Baldwin Wallace (CWS G1)
