April 18, 2008

Box Score

CARLISLE, PA - The #15 Johns Hopkins baseball team pounded out 17 hits en route to a 24-7 victory over Dickinson College in Centennial Conference action on Friday afternoon. The Blue Jays (25-4, 13-1 CC) won their eighth straight game after scoring 20+ runs in back-to-back games for the first time since the 1998 season.

For the third straight game, the Blue Jays scored four runs in the first inning. Highlighting the inning was a sacrifice fly from senior third baseman Todd Emr (Westwood, NJ/Saddle River Day) and an RBI single from senior DH Matt Benchener (Newtown, PA/Holy Ghost Prep) that plated two.

After Dickinson reached starter Ryan Kuhlman (Hicksville, NY/Bethpage) for two runs in the bottom of the frame, Hopkins answered back with two more in the top of the second.

Hopkins put four more on the board in the third inning. Emr and sophomore right fielder Brian Youchak (Pittsburgh, PA/Vincentian Academy) each had RBI singles in the frame while senior center fielder Rob Pietroforte (Brooklyn, NY/Berkeley Carroll) lifted a sac fly to score another run.

The Blue Jays led 13-4 after four innings of play and were not done yet. Hopkins sent 14 men to the plate in the fifth inning and scored 11 runs on six hits. Sophomore catcher Joe Borrelli (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) had a pinch-hit bases clearing double to plate three while fellow sophomore John Swarr (Radnor, PA/Conestoga) hit his first career home run, a two-run shot to right field.

Dickinson would get three unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 24-7 game.

The bullpens buckled down at that point, holding both teams to just four hits combined in the final four innings of the game.

Kuhlman picked up his team leading fifth win of the season. He went five innings, surrendering seven runs three of which were earned on 10 hits with four strikeouts. Hopkins used four more pitchers in the game as each went an inning and combined for three hits and three strikeouts. The loss in the game went to Dave Donahoo, who surrendered 13 runs in four innings.

The Blue Jays had 14 different players record at least one hit in the contest led by Youchak and Benchener. Youchak finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored while Benchener went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Senior shortstop Nate Adelman (Redwood City, CA/Menlo School) went 1-for-1 with four runs scored as he walked three times.

Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, April 19 when it hosts Franklin & Marshall in a crucial Centennial Conference doubleheader. First pitch of game-one is set for 12:30 p.m. The winner of tomorrow's doubleheader will get a huge leg-up in the race for home field advantage in the Centennial Conference playoffs.

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