BALTIMORE, MD -- #1 nationally ranked Johns Hopkins University used seven inning complete games from Jeremy Brown and Matt Righter to sweep a Centennial Conference baseball doubleheader from Franklin & Marshall, 5-4 and 9-3.
Hopkins (24-0, 9-0 Centennial Conference) took an early lead in game one by scoring twice in the first inning. Rob Morrison singled off F&M starting pitcher John Walsh (Sr., Havertown, PA/Haverford) with one out and advanced to third on a double by Paul Winterling. Mike Durgala then singled home Morrison, and Brian Morley followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Winterling as Hopkins jumped out to a 2-0 lead.
The Blue Jays added a run in the second when Craig Cetta hit a homerun, but the Diplomats answered in the third as Dan Hanecak (So., Conestoga, PA/Lancaster Catholic) belted his first homer of the year to make it a 3-1 game.
Corey Gleason slugged his third home run of the season in the fourth inning to put Hopkins up 4-1, but F&M pushed across three runs in the fifth to tie the game. Gary Kruger (So., East Islip, NY/East Islip) opened the inning by reaching on an error by JHU shortstop Tim Casale and advanced to third on a double by Scott Haft (Jr., Jupiter, FL/Jupiter). After a pop out, Hanecak doubled to score Kruger, and after a ground out to the mound, Haft and Hanecak each scored when Chris Smith (So., Fairfax Station, VA/Robinson) reached on an error by Blue Jays' third baseman Mike Spiciarich.
The game remained deadlocked until the seventh inning when Casale doubled off F&M reliever Jeremy Knox (So., Bronx, NY/Iona Prep) with one out and scored the winning run on a single by Morrison.
On the mound, Brown improved to 6-0 on the season after allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out eight and not walking a batter. Walsh recorded a no-decision while allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk with a strikeout over five innings. Knox took the loss for the Diplomats as he allowed one run on two hits with a strikeout over the final 1.1 innings of play to fall to 1-1 on the year.
In game two, Hopkins took a 1-0 lead off F&M starter Ted Serro (So., Brooklyn, NY/Xavier) in the first inning as Casale led off with a single, stole second and third, and scored on a single by Winterling. The Diplomats tied the game in the top of the second when Haft singled, advanced to second on a single by Corey Caruthers (So., Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor), moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by Eric Milavsky (So., Medford, NJ/Shawnee).
However, Hopkins got the run back in the bottom of the second to take the lead for good as Gleason was hit by a pitch with one out and moved to second on a Spiciarich single. Gleason scored when senior Bryan Eberle reached on an error at shortstop.
The Blue Jays scored again in the third inning as Durgala led off with a double, advanced to third on a ground out by Morley and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cetta.
Hopkins put the game away in the fifth with six runs as Morrison walked to lead off the inning and scored when Winterling belted his sixth home run of the season. Durgala was hit by a pitch and moved to second when Cetta reached on an error by Smith at shortstop. Gleason singled to right to drive in Durgala, and Cetta came home while Gleason moved to third on an errant attempted throw home to nail Durgala at the plate.
Gleason scored the fifth run of the inning on a wild pitch, and Spiciarich walked to bring in F&M reliever Pete Maki (Sr., Woodbury, CT/Noonewaug). Spiciarich advanced to second when Eberle reached on an error by Kruger at third, moved to third when Casale was hit by a pitch and scored on a passed ball.
Franklin & Marshall attempted to comeback in the sixth inning as Dan Weber (Sr., Reading, PA/Governor Mifflin) doubled and Haft blasted a two-run homer, but Righter recorded four straight outs over the remaining 1.1 innings of play as F&M fell to 16-11, 8-3 in the Centennial Conference.
Overall, Righter allowed five hits and three earned runs while striking out eight batter to improve to 3-0 on the year, while Serro fell to 3-1 after allowing four earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work.
Franklin & Marshall will continue the season on April 13 at home versus Haverford College in a single game. Opening pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. at Caplan Field.
