April 17, 2012

Tuesday's Baseball Recap

Sam Eagleson, Johns Hopkins

Johns Hopkins 3, Washington College 1
 A pair of home runs by Jeff Lynch and Kyle Neverman proved to be all the offense visiting Johns Hopkins would need as the Blue Jays recorded a 3-1 Centennial Conference baseball victory over host Washington College this afternoon at Athey Park. The Blue Jays improved to 21-9-2 overall and 11-2 in conference play with the win, opening up a three-game lead for first place in the conference. The Shoremen fell to 23-7 and 8-5 with the loss. Sam Eagleson pitched a complete game for the Blue Jays, allowing just two hits on two walks while striking out eight batters.  Senior Shane Mattingly (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) pitched well in the loss for Washington, allowing the three runs on six hits and two walks in seven innings.

Haverford 7, Franklin & Marshall 0
 Pitcher Kevin Goff, making his first start of the season, threw seven scoreless innings to help lead Haverford College to a 7-0 Centennial Conference shutout of visiting Franklin & Marshall College on Tuesday afternoon at Kannerstein Field. Justin Coulter collected two singles and a pair of doubles and registered four RBIs for Haverford (16-16, 8-5 CC) as the first five batters in the line-up accounted for all 10 of the Fords' hits. Aaron Gillette rapped out two hits to lead F&M (16-18, 5-8) at the plate in the loss. Goff (3-0) scattered five hits and five walks while striking out three to earn the win. Mike Bozzi didn't allow a base runner and fanned two. For Franklin & Marshall, starter Matt Valente (2-5) took the loss after surrendering four runs off of five Haverford hits over his five innings on the mound.

Gettysburg 7, McDaniel 5
 Junior Pat Cody finished 3-for-5 and collected his 100th career hit as Gettysburg held off a late McDaniel College rally and defeated the Green Terror 7-5 in a Centennial Conference baseball affair Tuesday afternoon at Preston Field. The Bullets (18-10, 7-6 CC), who never trailed and ripped 14 hits, won their fifth game in a row and have now posted their highest victory total since the 2007 team finished 26-13. They are now tied for fourth place in the conference standings with Dickinson College and McDaniel and will meet the Green Terror again on Friday in Gettysburg. McDaniel (19-9, 7-6 CC) erased a 5-2 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the eighth before the Bullets went in front 7-5 with a two-run ninth. The Terror loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning against junior reliever John Donovan, but they were left stranded, as Donovan induced a flyout to right and a pop-up to short to end the game.

Dickinson 19, Muhlenberg 14
 The Dickinson College baseball team came out on top of a slugfest in Allentown, posting a 19-14 win at Muhlenberg on Tuesday afternoon. The Mules went through eight pitchers on the day while the Devils went to the pen on three occasions. The Red Devils scored in each of the first seven innings except the third, pushing across seven in the sixth to pull in front, 14-5. The Mules tallied three in the bottom of the inning but the Devils came back with five more in the seventh to stretch the lead to 19-8, heading into the eighth. Muhlenberg looked to rally, using a three-run homer, and scoring five in the eighth to pull within 19-13. They added on in the ninth before the Devils closed out the game, claiming a key Centennial Conference victory in the process. Senior Matt Tuneski (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) led the hit parade, going 5-for-6 on the day, driving in five runs and scoring three.

Swarthmore 9, Ursinus 8
 On the strength of a ninth-inning rally and a walk-off, two-run double from senior second baseman Anthony Montalbano, the Swarthmore baseball (19-12, 5-8 CC) team turned in its most dramatic performance of the Centennial Conference season on Tuesday, defeating the Ursinus Bears (13-17, 5-8 CC) 9-8 after trailing by three runs going into the bottom of the ninth. The win was all but necessary for the Garnet, as the team continues to fight for a Conference playoff spot as the season draws to a close. Freshmen also played a pivotal role in Swat's win as catcher Joseph Rizzo went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of RBIs and designated hitter Scoop Ruxin bombed a two-run home run. Junior Sean Mangus earned the win with two innings of one-run ball.