Baseball defeated amid controversy

The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays began the month of April with back-to-back wins versus Catholic and Washington Colleges by scores of 9-6 and 10-1, respectively. Those two wins moved the Blue Jays to 18-4 on the season and set the stage for a pivotal week of baseball, including a crucial double header against Conference rival Franklin & Marshall.

Staff ace Yani Rosenberg took the mound in the first game and delivered his standard brilliant performance.

Rosenberg struck out seven and threw a one-hitter en route to earning his fourth win of the season. Senior first baseman Ben Taylor provided the offensive firepower, blasting his fifth home run in the bottom of the second inning. Freshman third baseman Mike Durgala and senior third baseman John Krivonak each plated runs with base hits in the 4-1 win.

The night cap of the double header featured a third inning in which a combined 12 runs were scored. Junior starter Jeremy Brown allowed five runs on four hits, but was taken off the hook when the Blue Jays batted around for seven runs in the bottom half of the inning.

Then, Franklin & Marshall managed two more runs against Brown their next turn at bat. The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh when sophomore catcher Doug Hitchner drove home junior outfielder Joe Urban, who had walked leading off the inning, for the game winning run.

Sophomore pitcher Matt Righter earned the win to improve to 3-1 on the season. Sophomore shortstop Carl Ippolito and junior outfielder Jay Cieri each contributed two RBI's a piece in the 8-7 victory.

The double header sweep marked the 600 and 601st wins of Head Coach Bob Babb's 23-year managerial career. Asked after the games what else he would like to accomplish in his coaching career, Coach Babb did not mention an individual milestone.

Rather, Coach Babb said, "I would love to see [Hopkins] win a national championship. I think we have the talent, but more than talent, you need luck."

Two days later, on April 8, the Blue Jays offense exploded. Hopkins hitters smashed six home runs in the 14-5 blow out of Villa Julie.

Freshman third baseman Mike Durgala hit two homers, and sophomore outfielder Brian Morley, senior first baseman Ben Taylor, sophomore designated hitter Sven Stafford and sophomore pinch hitter Mike Stankus all added round trippers.

Senior starter Jason Setty was the beneficiary of the outburst as he held Villa Julie batters in check all game long. The 14-5 final score gave the Blue Jays an 8-0 mark heading into the Tuesday game at Dickinson.

On the day when they managed to move up to 13th in the country in the 2002 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Division III poll, the Blue Jays experienced their first setback in Centennial Conference play.

After opening with an impressive eight game win streak, the Blue Jays suffered their first loss in Centennial Conference play this Tuesday, when they were defeated by Dickinson College 7-3 in a game shortened by darkness. The Blue Jays had battled all the way back and had overcome the deficit in the top half of the eighth inning, taking a 10-7 lead.

However, after Dickinson's manager pleaded with the umpires that the darkness was overwhelming; the umpires conceded and decided to call the game before the home team had a chance to try and regain the lead.

Conference rules stipulate that if an inning is not completed (for whatever reason), then the score reverts back to what it was at the conclusion of the final complete inning.

Even with the loss, the Blue Jays still remain atop the Centennial Conference with an 8-1 record, one game ahead of Ursinis and Franklin & Marshall who are each 7-2 in conference play.

Durgala and Rosenberg, who each played pivotal roles in the 5-1 week, were recognized as Conference players of the week. Durgala hit .667 over that span while Rosenberg earned two wins in the span of seven days. Rosenberg leads the Conference in ERA and strikeouts to walks ratio, among those who qualify for the leader board.

The Blue Jays will face the Dickinson Red Devils again this Friday at Hopkins on the baseball field, where the Jays will look to avenge their only Centennial Conference loss of the year.