As we approach the end of the school year, our Hopkins teams are also nearing conference championship season. The stakes are raised, and with it have come some incredibly impressive performances from our student-athletes, so let’s take a look at some of the most outstanding from this past week!
Baseball: W (34–14), W (15–13), W (14–3), W (15–10)
Traveling to Gettysburg, Pa., the Blue Jays absolutely obliterated the #15 team in the nation. Three home runs in the first inning helped to set up a 12-run deficit before Gettysburg even faced a pitch and set the tone for the rest of the game. Hopkins would have three morning innings in which they scored six runs or more as the team combined to slug eight home runs. Despite a late inning push from Gettysburg, the game was never close as Hopkins scored a program record 34 runs en route to an absolute obliteration of their opposition.
After returning home, Gettysburg would follow the Blue Jays back to Baltimore for what was a much more balanced contest at Babb Field. Hopkins would get on the board early with a two-run shot from graduate first baseman William Jaun. They would fall behind through the next two innings as Gettysburg would homer twice to make it a 6–2 game, but a nine-run third inning helped the Jays take a commanding lead once again. Gettysburg mounted somewhat of a comeback into the eighth inning, reducing the margin to two runs, but a strong top of the ninth from graduate pitcher Dylan Zucker helped secure the save.
A double header against Muhlenberg was up next on the schedule, and the Blue Jays were able to handle business quite comfortably. A quiet first two innings in the first game was quickly broken open with a home run from senior outfielder Alex Shane. Senior utility Lukas Geer would homer in the sixth, making it a 5–2 game, and the Jays would not look back from here, romping home to a 14–3 victory.
The second half of the double header was once again slightly closer, but still saw Hopkins come out handily on top. After surrendering a five-run inning in the fifth, Hopkins responded and swiftly put Muhlenberg away with a five-run sixth and a seven-run eighth that gave the Mules no chance of victory.
With only a couple more weeks of action before the post-season begins, be sure to catch the Jays in action with a string of important conference games coming up!
Women’s Lacrosse: W (21–9)
After a disappointing two-game slide against #3 Maryland and #11 Northwestern, the Women’s Lacrosse team travelled to Eugene to face the Oregon Ducks. Still ranked as the ninth team in the country, the Blue Jays entered the contest as favorites and did not disappoint.
It did not take long for Hopkins to register a score on the board, nailing two goals before Oregon had a chance to respond. The pressure did not relent as a pair of goals from senior attacker Ava Angello helped the Jays to a 6–2 advantage at the end of the first period. The second period was considerably quieter as junior midfielder Samantha DiCarlo scored two of Hopkins’ three goals, pushing the scoreline to 9–3 at the half.
Heading into the second half, the Ducks simply could not get in any kind of consistent offensive flow as Hopkins kept piling the goals on. The game was defined by quick bursts of offense from the Blue Jays as Angello and junior attacker Taylor Hoss exploded out of the gates, scoring three goals within the first minute and a half of the third period. From here, Hopkins grabbed the game by the throat and did not relent with the trio of Angello, Hoss and junior midfielder Lacey Downey combining for 22 points across the contest, a completely dominant display.
The team will return to Homewood Field this Sunday to take on the Michigan Wolverines before their final game of the regular season at Penn State.
Men’s Lacrosse: W (11–10)
The #6 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions travelled to Homewood Field last Saturday in what shaped up to be a very close battle between two of the top teams in the nation. Despite getting on the scoreboard first thanks to a goal from junior midfielder Jimmy Ayers, the Blue Jays fell behind very quickly. Midway through the second period Hopkins found themselves down 7–3, a discrepancy that would only increase into the third period as they fell behind by five goals.
Not letting themselves go down without a fight, the Jays began to chip away at the daunting deficit. Junior attacker Hunter Chauvette began the rally with an unassisted goal three minutes into the third period, and would tack on to goals later, one of which ended up the eventual game winner. Ayers, among other, chipped in with another goal as the team continued to build momentum into the fourth period.
A late goal from Penn State made things close, but the comeback was complete after an unanswered 7–0 run from the Blue Jays that should give them confidence heading into the final two games of the season. The team will have to travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Buckeyes before returning home in the hotly anticipated Homecoming game against #11 Maryland.
