BOX SCORE
Boyertown, Pa. (May 17, 2007) – Third-seeded Johns Hopkins University scored eight runs in the first five innings and held off the second-seeded College of New Jersey for an 8-6 win Thursday afternoon in game six of the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Baseball Regional at Bear Stadium.
JHU (37-9) junior Ryan Kealy (Ardsley, N.Y.) escaped trouble in the seventh and eighth innings and sophomore Chez Angeloni (Jenkintown, Pa.) shut down a ninth inning rally for his first save of the season.
Hopkins jumped on TCNJ starter Bob Buskett (Trenton, N.J.) for three runs in the first inning and tacked on another in the second. After back-to-back fielder’s choices in the first inning junior center fielder Rob Pietroforte (Brooklyn, N.Y.) drove home a pair with a double to left center and scored on a single by Ian Christie (Endicott, N.Y.). Junior Jonas Fester (Dallas, Texas) drove in his first of two on the day in the second to put JHU up 4-0.
TCNJ committed four errors in the first five innings, the final one in the fourth during Hopkins’ second three-run inning of the day. Nate Adelman (Redwood City, Calif.) walked with one out and Jon Solomon (Fairfax, Va.) reached on an error. Fester followed with a run-scoring double to left tying the NCAA single season record for doubles with his 27th. Solomon scored when Pietroforte was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Fester came home on a Brett Izzo (Northport, N.Y.) sacrifice fly.
TCNJ cut into an 8-2 deficit with a pair runs in the sixth inning on three hits and a Hopkins error. The Lions put runners at first and second to open the seventh inning and senior Blake Bullis (Delran, N.J.) ripped a single up the middle to cut the lead in half and break the TCNJ career hits record with his 236th base hit.
Senior catcher Gerard Haran (Matawan, N.J.), whose second inning home run was the first run of the day for the Lions, followed with a single and the bases were loaded when the Blue Jays failed to field a sacrifice bunt attempt.
In perhaps the most pivotal play of the game, designated hitter Bill Kropp (Pottstown, Pa.) lifted a fly ball down the right field line that Izzo fired home to nail Bullis trying to score. Kealy’s next pitch was also lifted to right and Izzo squeezed it to escape a bases loaded, no out jam.
The Lions continued to fight, loading the bases in the eighth, but the clutch hit never came as TCNJ stranded 11 runners in the final five innings of play. Haran smoked a line drive to center to end the eighth and Kealy left after surrendering back-to-back singles in the ninth, but Angeloni nailed down the save on a line drive to second and a comebacker to the mound.
Haran finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored to lead the Lions and three different players crossed the plate twice to lead the Blue Jays including Fester who finished with two hits, two runs, and two RBI.
TCNJ will return Friday morning for a 9:30 game versus Elizabethtown. Johns Hopkins will face the winner of Kean/Gwynedd-Mercy Friday at 1:00 p.m.
#3 Johns Hopkins 8, #2 The College of New Jersey 6