March 4, 2008

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - The Johns Hopkins baseball team pounded out 13 hits, including a grand slam by sophomore Brian Youchak (Pittsburgh, PA/Vincentian Academy) en route to a 13-2 win over Messiah in the season opener. The Blue Jays (1-0) got three home runs in the game and won their third straight season opener under head coach Bob Babb.

After posting a single run in the first inning, Hopkins got things going in the second. The first three Blue Jays of the innings reached on singles to load the bases for second baseman Nate Adelman (Redwood City, CA/Menlo School). Adelman delivered an infield single to make it a 2-0 game. After Messiah got the first out of the inning, Youchak stepped to the plate and hit the first home run of his career to right center to clear the bases and give the Blue Jays a 6-0 advantage. Hopkins got back-to-back walks before the Falcons recorded the second out of the inning. Senior Tony Margve (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) then delivered a sacrifice fly in his second at bat of the inning.

Hopkins would plate two more runs in the fourth as senior Rob Pietroforte (Brooklyn, NY/Berkeley Carroll) connected on his first home run of the year to center field.

Messiah got its two runs in the top of the sixth. A double from Ben Kirk scored Jordan Zimmerman for the Falcons' first run. Zimmerman had reached on a single off the leg of Blue Jay pitcher Brian Duddie (San Diego, CA/Mt. Carmel). After Kirk moved to third on a single from Sheldon Witmer, Kyle Stuckey lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score the second run of the inning.

Hopkins got its third home run of the day as senior Nick Venezia (Piscataway, NJ/Rutgers Prep) hit a solo home run to left field leading off the sixth. The Blue Jays would add a single run in the seventh and two more runs in the bottom of the eighth before the game was called due to darkness.

Senior Ryan Kuhlman (Hicksville, NY/Bethpage) picked up the win for the Blue Jays after going two innings, allowing just two hits and striking out two. Kuhlman has now won 10 games in a row dating back to last season. The Blue Jays used a pitcher by committee approach with no one going more than two innings on the day. Junior Dave Fioretti (Huntington, NY/St. Anthony's) made a strong return after missing last season with injury. He threw one inning of work with three strikeouts.

Jeremy Stoltzfus took the loss for Messiah going four innings and surrendering nine runs.

Youchak finished the day 2-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBIs. Pietroforte was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs.

Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, March 8 when it hosts Stevens Tech in a double header. First pitch of game one is set for 12:00 p.m.

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