The Middlebury baseball team (2-3) tallied a pair of runs in the top of the eighth, but its comeback attempt fell just short as 13th-ranked Johns Hopkins (8-5) hung on for the 6-5 win. The Panthers return to the diamond on Monday for a 2:00 p.m. game against Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Middlebury wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, taking a 1-0 edge in the top of the first. With one out,
Jack Stolper singled down the left-field line before touching third on a single from
Mitchell Schroeder, and later scampered home on a passed ball. The Blue Jays tied the game in their half of the inning when Isaiah Winikur touched home on a sacrifice fly by Jared deFaria.
Matthew Cooper doubled to left center to start the bottom of the second for Johns Hopkins. He advanced to third on a single, before scoring when his teammate walked. Later in the inning, the Blue Jays made it 3-1 when Sam Browning touched the plate on a double play.
The Panthers cut the deficit to one (3-2) in the third when Stolper singled to left, stole second and advanced to third on an error before crossing the plate. The following inning saw Middlebury tie the game 3-3 when
Sammy Smith tripled to right center and later scored.
Johns Hopkins responded in its half of the inning, tallying three runs to take a 6-3 advantage. With two outs and runners on first and second, Tripp Myers drove in James Ingram. Eli Fahnestock scored on a throwing error, before a single through the left side by deFaria brought home Myers.
Middlebury made it a one-run game in the top of the eight, scoring a pair of runs to make it 6-5.
Alec Ritch walked and Stolper doubled, before Ritch scampered home on a sacrifice fly by
John Collins. Stolper crossed home plate on a single up the middle by Smith.
In the top of the ninth,
Kyle McCausland doubled to left center.
Beau Root walked and McCausland advanced to third on a passed ball, but Johns Hopkins worked themselves out of the jam to hang on to the 6-5 win.
Alex Rosario (1-1) suffered the loss on the mound, allowing six runs on seven hits while striking out three over the first four innings.
Henry Gustavson did not allow a hit in the final four innings, while striking out four. Matt Savedoff allowed three runs on four hits, while striking out five to earn the win for the Blue Jays, while Hyunwoo Roh struck out three and earned the save in the final two innings.
Stolper paced the Panthers with two runs on a pair of hits with a double, while Ritch crossed home plate twice. Five different Blue Jays recorded a run and had one hit, while deFaria had a pair of RBI.
