May 2, 2004

Box Score

Baltimore, MD - Johns Hopkins juniors Mike Spiciarich (Syosset, NY/Chaminade) and Paul Winterling (Glenelg, MD/McDonogh) each hit two home runs as the top-ranked Blue Jay baseball team won the Centennial Conference Tournament Championship with a 17-9 win over Franklin & Marshall Sunday afternoon.

Hopkins improved to 36-1 with the victory and won its fourth straight title, becoming the first JHU team in any sport to win four consecutive Centennial Conference championships. The Blue Jays advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in school history and the 12th under head coach Bob Babb. The NCAA Regional selections will be made Sunday, May 16, with the regionals being held from May 20-23.

The Blue Jays also tied the school record for wins in a season, as the 1998 team went 36-4.

Hopkins, which was the visiting team in the game, jumped on top in the second as senior Brian Morley (Tappan, NY/Don Bosco Prep) worked a leadoff walk, advanced to third when junior Eric Nigro (Randolph, NJ/Taft Prep) reached on an error and scored when senior Craig Cetta (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) reached on an error.

Spiciarich led off the third with a single and moved to second on a single by senior Bryan Eberle (Frederick, MD/Urbana). After a strikeout Spiciarich stole third to put runners on the corners, and he scored while freshman Bryce Baumann (Oklahoma City, OK/Casady School), pinch-running for Eberle, went to third on a throwing error when senior Rob Morrison (Malibu, CA/Loyola) reached on a fielder's choice. Winterling then followed with a three-run homer to put Hopkins up 5-0 after three innings.

F&M got back in the game in the fourth, as Rob Georgiou singled, Scott Haft singled, and after a sacrifice bunt Gary Kruger hit a three-run home run, his fourth long ball of the tournament. However the Blue Jays scored one run in the fifth, five in the sixth and four in the seventh to go up 15-3.

Morrison doubled with one out in the fifth, and after a walk to Morley, scored on a single by Nigro. Senior Carl Ippolito (Ewing, NJ/Pennington School) opened the sixth with a single and scored when Spiciarich drilled a home run. With one out senior Tim Casale (West Hempstead, NY/Chaminade) singled, stole second and third, and scored on a Morrison single. Winterling followed with a two-run homer to give Hopkins an eight-run lead.

Ippolito led off the seventh by getting hit by a pitch, and after Spiciarich singled, Eberle hit a three-run homer, his first long ball of the season. Casale then singled, moved to second when Winterling was hit by a pitch and scored on a single by Nigro.

Like Saturday's game the Diplomats would not quit, scoring five in the bottom of the seventh. Chris Smith doubled home Jon Compitello and scored when Kruger reached on an error. After Georgiou scored on a wild pitch, Tony Breslau singled home two runs to make it a 15-8 game after seven innings.

The Blue Jays added two runs in the eighth when Ippolito singled and Spiciarich followed with a home run, and Eric Milavsky hit a solo homer in the bottom of the inning to conclude the scoring.

Spiciarich went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and four runs scored for Hopkins, while Morrison was 3-for-6 with three runs scored and two runs batted in. Nigro finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs, while Casale, Winterling, Ippolito and Eberle each added two hits.

Senior Matt Righter (Clarion, PA/Lawrenceville Prep) picked up the win, improving to 6-0, after allowing eight runs, four earned, on five hits while striking out eight in 6.2 innings pitched. Senior Russ Berger (Owings Mills, MD/Owings Mills) gave up one run on three hits in the final 2.1 innings.

Jeremy Knox took the loss for the Diplomats after allowing six runs, four earned, on six hits in five innings of work.

The Blue Jays travel to York on Wednesday for a 3:30 p.m. game with the Spartans.

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