March 25, 2008

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Senior Joe Zaccaria (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset) struck out 10 batters in six innings to help lift the #21 Johns Hopkins baseball team to a 16-3 victory over McDaniel on Tuesday afternoon in the Centennial Conference opener for both squads. The Blue Jays (11-3, 1-0 CC) won their seventh straight contest and are averaging 12.8 runs a game during the current win streak.

McDaniel dented the scoreboard first in the game as they reached Zaccaria for two runs in the top of the first inning. Matt Graziano had a two-out single to center field to score both runs. Hopkins got one run back in the bottom of the first to make it a 2-1 game in favor of the visitors after one.

Hopkins took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth inning. Senior second baseman Nate Adelman (Redwood City, CA/Menlo School) poked a two-out single up the middle before senior left fielder Jon Solomon (Fairfax, VA/Riverdale Baptist) hit his first home run of the year to left field. The Blue Jays would add another run in the inning on senior shortstop Jonas Fester's (Dallas, TX/Syosset) RBI single. Fester extended his hit streak to 24 games with the hit.

The big inning in the game for the Blue Jays came in the fifth when they sent 14 batters to the plate and scored eight runs. Junior first baseman Ryan Biner (Crystal Lake, IL/Prairie Ridge) had a two RBI single while senior DH Matt Benchener (Newtown, PA/Holy Ghost Prep) launched a three-run home run to left field in the inning. Hopkins would also get RBIs in the inning from Fester, senior third baseman Todd Emr (Westwood, NJ/Saddle River Day) and sophomore right fielder Brian Youchak (Pittsburgh, PA/Vincentian Academy).

Zaccaria was cruising on the hill at this point, having retired 14 straight Green Terror batters before Harold Baines singled to lead off the sixth inning. McDaniel was able to get a second batter on and have runners reach second and third in the frame but Zaccaria struck out his tenth batter of the day to strand those runners and end the sixth.

Hopkins would add three more runs to its total in the sixth inning as Fester lifted a three-run home run to left center with one out. It was the third home run of the day for the Blue Jays.

Junior Dave Garber (Mount Joy, PA/Donegal) led off the seventh inning with the Blue Jays' fourth home run of the day. It was the second straight game with a home run for Garber as Hopkins led 16-2 after seven innings of play.

McDaniel would get a home run in the ninth inning as Matthew Pace hit a one-out home run to right field but that was all the Green Terror would get. Hopkins claimed the 16-3 victory.

Zaccaria gets the win for the Blue Jays, his second of the season. He went six innings, surrendering two runs on five hits and striking out 10 while only walking one. Brian Rosato took the loss for McDaniel as he surrendered seven runs in four plus innings of work.

Fester finished the game 3-for-4 with one run scored and five RBIs, he also extended his hit streak to 24 games. Solomon finished 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs while Youchak was 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Emr and Biner each finished the day 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.

The win was also the 798th in head coach Bob Babb's career at Hopkins.

Hopkins returns to action on Friday, March 28th when it completes the series with the Green Terror in Westminster, MD. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.

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