Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Rob Sanzillo went 3-for-4 with three doubles to lead an 18-hit barrage in Johns Hopkins' 16-8 Centennial Conference (CC) baseball victory at Gettysburg on Tuesday.
Ian Christie also added three hits, fours runs and two RBIs for the Blue Jays (21-6, 9-4 CC), who defeated the Bullets (15-16, 8-5 CC) for the eighth straight time.
Joe Bonyai (Torrington, CT/Hotchkiss School) notched his team-leading fifth three-hit game and added one RBI to lead a 12-hit attack for Gettysburg.
In a game billed as a pitchers' duel, the offense got to both of the starting hurlers. JHU starter Jason Hochfelder, who entered the game having allowed four earned runs in 28 2/3 innings, gave up five runs (four earned) on nine hits in seven innings of work.
For the home team, Brian Spicer (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield), who entered the day with the CC's fourth-best ERA (3.00) was touched up for eight runs – only three earned – on nine hits in just over five innings of work.
The bullpens combined to give up the other 11 runs in six innings, but poor fielding caused seven of those to be unearned.
Already leading 6-2, the Blue Jays plated eight runs on seven hits and got the benefit of three Bullet errors, sending 12 batters to the plate in the visitor sixth.
Sanzillo led off the frame with Johns Hopkins' sixth double of the game to that point. A Christie RBI single to the outfield gap plated Sanzillo and chased Spicer in favor of Greg Urich (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin).
After Christie went to second on one of four Gettysburg wild pitches, Urich retired Paul Long on a 2-2 bunt, but a throwing error to attempt to gun Christie at third allowed him to score and push the advantage to 8-2.
The fifth of six Bullet errors allowed Gary Rosenberg to reach. A hit batsman and single allowed him to score before Mike Spiciarich launched the first of three Blue Jays home runs over the left-field wall for a 12-2 lead.
After Dave Montegari reached on a single, Urich's day was done after just 2/3 of an inning of work, giving way to Brian Koch (Union, NJ/Roselle Catholic).
Sanzillo drilled the first Koch pitch to the wall in center, scoring Montegari and crediting Urich with his fifth unearned run allowed.
Another RBI single from Christie made it 13-2 before Koch got Long to pop out.
Two singles, two errors, a Michael Donohue (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) RBI double, and an Andrew Freeburger (Baltimore, MD/Parkville) sacrifice fly pulled Gettysburg with in 13-5 after six complete innings.
A Mike Durgala solo shot in the seventh and Christie solo blast in the eighth pushed the lead to 15-5, but the Bullets once again went to work in the bottom of the eighth.
Back-to-back singles from Brendan McDonald (Bennington, VT/Mt. Anthony Union) and Austin Ball (Farmingdale, NY/Hills East) set up first and second.
Donohue reached on a fielding error to load the bases before Freeburger was safe on a fielder's choice, allowing McDonald to score.
On an error on the attempt to turn the double play, Ball followed McDonald down the line to make it a 16-7 game.
A two-out single from Sean McGee (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) plated Freeburger from third to set the final margin.
Christie led off the game with a double to right before a wild pitch and passed ball staked the Blue Jays to a 1-0 lead.
With one out, Spicer settled in, striking out three in a row en route to a five-strikeout outing.
Back-to-back doubles from Spiciarich and Montegari in the top of the second gave the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Donohue's first double of the game in the bottom half of the inning plated Brian Pernice (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown), who reached two batters earlier on a leadoff single.
A Ben Carey (Colchester, CT/St. Bernard) triple and Bonyai single in the third pulled the Bullets within 4-2.
A pair of unearned runs in each of the top of the third and fourth innings stretched the Blue Jays' advantage to 6-2 before the eight-run sixth to break the game open.
In addition to Bonyai's three-hit day, McDonald and Donohue tacked on two-hit outings apiece.
Eight of the nine Gettysburg starters recorded at least one hit while seven of Johns Hopkins' starters had no fewer than two hits.
The 16 runs and 18 hits were both single-game season highs allowed by Gettysburg as were the six Bullet errors.
Gettysburg, currently tied with Haverford for the fourth and final playoff spot, concludes the home-and-home series at Johns Hopkins on Friday. Game time is 3:30 p.m.
Score by Inning |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
- |
R |
H |
E |
Johns Hopkins (21-6, 9-4 CC) |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
- |
16 |
18 |
5 |
Gettysburg (15-16, 8-5 CC) |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
- |
8 |
12 |
6 |
Jason Hochfelder, Patrick Steffee (8), Jason Thayer (9) and Rob Sanzillo, Brian Harris (8); Brian Spicer, Greg Urich (6), Brian Koch (6), Kenny Stone (8) and Michael Donohue. WP: Hochfelder (5-0). LP: Spicer (2-3) S: none. SO-BB: Hochfelder 2-0, Steffee 0-0, Thayer 0-0; Spicer 5-1, Urich 0-0, Koch 2-0, Stone 0-0. 2B: Ian Christie (J), Paul Winterling (J), Mike Spiciarich (J), Dave Montegari (J), Rob Sanzillo 3 (J), Joe Bonyai (G), Michael Donohue 2 (G). 3B: Ben Carey (G). HR: Corey Gleason (J), Mike Durgala (J), Mike Spiciarich (J).
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