The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays wrapped up an exciting week in which they secured the regular season Centennial Conference crown, by polishing off two non-conference foes, Neumann and Montclair State. For the week, the Blue Jays went 3-1 as they prepared for the postseason.
On Saturday, April 27th, the Blue Jays traveled to Allentown, Pa. to face division rival Muhlenberg. Needing only a split of the doubleheader to clinch first place, the Blue Jays started junior Jeremy Brown, in hopes of clinching the title without having to use ace senior Yani Rosenberg.
Brown did not have his best stuff, and Muhlenberg took advantage, jumping on him for one run in the first, and five in the second. Brown settled down and recorded the next six outs relatively easily, but then got hammered in the fifth, largely due to sloppy fielding by his teammates. Brown's line for the day wound up as 4.2 innings pitched, 10 hits allowed and 11 runs, only six of which were earned.
The Blue Jays offense did its best to keep the game close while the pitching and defense faltered. Thanks to at least one run batted in a piece from the Blue Jays' three through eight hitters, the game was never out of reach. Hopkins mounted rallies in the sixth and seventh but fell short, when each of those comeback attempts fell short, scoring once and leaving runners stranded on base. The final score was 11-8.
In the loss, senior second baseman Karl Sineath tied the Hopkins career record of 95 stolen bases. Sineath drew four walks during the game.
Facing the prospect of letting the Centennial Conference crown slip away, the Blue Jays sent Rosenberg to the mound, desperate for a win. As he has all season long, Rosenberg proved the dominant force. Rosenberg went the distance and struck out nine batters in the process to earn his team leading eighth win, against no losses, on the season. The strikeouts also moved him into first place on the Blue Jays's career list. He needs just two more wins to become the winningest pitcher in Hopkins history.
Led by sophomore sensation Craig Cetta, 4-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored, the offense pounded out 17 hits and enabled the Blue Jays to coast to a convincing win, 14-3. Senior first baseman Ben Taylor and junior right fielder Joe Urban also had huge days. Urban reached base all five times he came to the plate, singling three times and drawing two walks, and scored four of the five times. Taylor went 3-4 and also scored three runs.
With the win, the Blue Jays clinched the first place in the Centennial Conference standings. They earned home field advantage for the Centennial Conference Championship tournament, which begins this Friday. Hopkins will play the winner of the single elimination tournament between the second, third and fourth place teams, Franklin & Marshall, Ursinus and Muhlenberg, respectively. Hopkins and Franklin & Marshall finished the regular season with identical Conference records, but the Blue Jays took the tie breaker, having swept the season series.
Asked about his big day with the bat, Cetta remarked, "I've been seeing the ball well of late. As a team, we were all pumped up coming into the second game and we came out swinging."
Cetta however, refused to let the offense take all the credit. "Our pitching has been coming up big lately, especially [Rosenberg]. Whenever he's taken the mound, we know we're going to get a great performance. We know we have a great chance of winning, no matter how many runs we score. As a senior, he's definitely one of the leaders of this team."
The following day, Cetta and Rosenberg received high praise earning recognition as the Centennial Conference players of the week.
Having completed their conference schedule, the Blue Jays played two non-Conference games to help keep them sharp for the post season.
An 8-2 victory over Neumann College on Monday April 29, saw a balanced Blue Jays' attack come together with a nicely pitched ball game, in a confidence boosting win.
Senior Jason Setty started the game and went five innings to earn the win. Sophomores Matt Righter, George Merrell and Sven Stafford each pitched scoreless innings of relief.
The Blue Jays bats got going early on, scoring four runs in the top of the first, thanks to lone RBIs by senior outfielder Mike Depalma, Stafford (who started at first base before coming on to pitch the ninth), and freshmen Mike Durgala and Paul Long.
The Blue Jays tacked on two more runs in the fourth, when Depalma and outfielder Brian Morley singled home runs. Morley finished the day 2-4 with a walk, and RBI and a run scored.
In the sixth, the Blue Jays put the game away by scoring twice more. Of major significance, senior Karl Sineath stole his record breaking 18th base of the season and 96th of his career. Sineath has 96 steals and has only been caught 10 times.
The Blue Jays ended the season with a 32-6 mark after defeating No. 30 ranked Montclair State 2-0 the next day. In a rain-shortened contest, Hopkins scored both runs in the fourth. Taylor and Depalma each singled leading off the inning, and then one out later, Morley walked to load the bases.
Senior third baseman John Krivonak drove home the eventual game-winning run with a sacrifice fly to center field. Depalma scored two batters later on an error by the opposing shortstop.
For the Blue Jays, the two non-Conference games enable them to enter the playoffs riding a three-game win streak.
"I'm not going to guarantee anything. We're definitely the best team. If we play our best, we should win." said Cetta.
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