The Blue Jay baseball team played five games in three days this past weekend, emerging from the weekend with three more wins and two losses.
Junior Marco Simmons pitched a gem of a game last Friday against Washington College. He notched his first career complete game, yielding only two runs over four hits and one walk, while striking out 13 in an 8-2 victory. Simmons exhibited the workhorse stamina of C.C. Sabathia and the strikeout ability of Rich Harden in the game.
The team faced Muhlenberg in a doubleheader on Saturday during Homecoming Weekend. Greg Harbeck got the start for Hopkins in game one. In the top of the first, Hopkins's shortstop Lee Bolyard botched a play on John Kalis, allowing Eric Hammond to score. Harbeck was able to avoid further trouble in the inning by striking out designated hitter Nick Busillo with the bases loaded to end the inning. In the bottom of the second, Bolyard was able to atone for his error at the plate, crushing a homer to left center off Muhlenberg starter Kevin Witmier, tying the game at one.
Hopkins took a lead in the third inning. Todd Emr stroked a double to the left center gap, driving in Ryan Biner and the score was 2-1 with Hopkins in the lead. In the fourth inning, Muhlenberg tied the game with a Christian Conti homer, but Hopkins took the lead back again, with a John Swarr RBI double, bringing the score to 3-2.
In the top of the fifth, Muhlenberg's Edward Risener drove in a run with a double, forcing Hopkins to bring in reliever Matt Wiegand. John Kalis drove in Risener with a single, giving Muhlenberg the lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Hopkins rallied. With runners on the corners and two out, Dave Kahn hit a three-run blast to right field, giving Hopkins a 6-4 lead. Wiegand ran into trouble in the sixth. After a run came in on a groundout, Kalis hit a three-run homer and the Mules were up 8-6. In the bottom of the seventh, the final inning, Todd Emr got on base with a single and advanced to third after an error. Kahn drove him in with a fielder's choice and Muhlenberg took the lead again. Pitcher Phil Cresta retiredCresta retired Bolyard and Swarr to preserve a Muhlenberg victory, 8-7. Reliever Mike Speroni got the win, while Hopkins reliever Matt Wiegand took the loss.
Unlike game one, game two was not a close contest at all. Todd Emr gave the Blue Jays an early 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the first. The second inning featured four stolen bases by Hopkins, including two by Brian Youchak. James Teta and Dan Merzel drove in runs in the inning. Entering the fourth inning, the score was 4-1 Hopkins.
The Jays blew the game wide open in the bottom of the fourth. With runners on the corners, Jesse Sikorski hit a three-run shot off Muhlenberg starter Matthew Ordog, knocking him out of the game, and giving Hopkins an 8-1 lead. The Jays added three more runs off reliever Joseph Barrese, bringing the score to 11-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, Emr hit a solo shot and Zach Small hit a two-run homer, extending the lead to 14-1. The Mules picked up four runs in the top of the sixth off starter Dan Schiffner, bringing in the relievers to finish the pitching. Reserves were put into the game in the blowout and freshman Blake Platt made an appearance in the ninth inning, retiring the side in order. The Jays won 18-7. Schiffner got enough run support for the win, pitching five innings, giving up four earned runs (and one unearned) over eight hits and two walks, while striking out four.
Another doubleheader was on hand on Sunday, as the team played Franklin and Marshall on the road. The Hopkins offense was ready from the get-go, attacking Diplomats starter Mike Duranti quickly. Todd Emr and Brian Youchak hit RBI singles in the first inning. In the bottom of the first, Brian Hanson came in to score on a John Swarr-passed ball to give the Diplomats a run. In the top of the second, James Teta hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Jesse Sikorski.
Dan Merzel and Emr added RBI singles in the inning, putting the Jays ahead 5-1 after two. In the third inning, with the bases loaded, leftfielder Nick Rolnick misplayed a ball hit by Teta, costing the Diplomats three more runs. The Hopkins offense was unrelenting, as shown by a fourth consecutive inning with runs scored. Sikorski ripped a 2 RBI double down the rightfield line off reliever Mike Ham. Swarr added an RBI knock, scoring Sikorski and extending the lead to 11-1.
The sixth inning featured more Jays offense, as Sikorski and Emr homered in a four-run inning. In the meantime, Hopkins starter Chez Angeloni pitched very well for the win, going six innings, scattering seven hits and allowing only an unearned run, striking out four. The game ended after seven innings at a score of 15-1 Hopkins.
In the nightcap, the Jays took a quick 1-0 lead when Ryan Biner drove in Teta with a single. The Diplomats responded with three of their own against Hopkins starter Dave Fioretti, and were ahead 3-1 after one.
The score was knotted at three until the third inning when Hopkins took the lead on a Youchak double. The Jays added three more runs in the fourth, when Teta hit an RBI single and Emr drove in two with a single. The score was 7-3 Hopkins after four. Franklin and Marshall did not give up easily, as they scored in the fifth.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Bill Murray unloaded the bases with a single, bringing the Diplomats within one run. However, the Jays were able to score eight runs off the relief corps in the later three innings, with the score ending at 15-7 Hopkins. Bolyard hit a two-run homer in the seventh and Biner had a three-run shot in the ninth. Fioretti got the win; he lasted seven and one-thirds innings, giving up five earned runs (two unearned) over seven hits and four walks, while striking out four.
The team's record stands at 18-12 following the weekend's games, and their 10-5 conference record puts them in fourth place. The Jays' next home game is Friday versus McDaniel.
