Gettysburg College broke open a tied game with a four-run sixth inning on its way to a 14-8 victory over visiting Johns Hopkins University in Centennial Conference baseball action on Friday at Kirchhoff Field.
Gettysburg (14-14, 5-3 CC) pulled back to .500 on the season by scoring more than 10 runs for the second-straight game and eighth time this spring while avenging Tuesday’s 19-12 setback to the Blue Jays to split the season series.
In Friday’s win, the first four batters in Gettysburg’s lineup combined for 10 hits, 10 runs scored, and four RBI.
Junior Kyle Miller (Montclair, N.J/Montclair) went 3-for-5 with three runs scored out of the leadoff spot, while senior Matt Muir (South Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) added a pair of hits and scored three times out of the two-hole.
Sophomore Tristan Neels (San Diego, Calif./Francis W. Parker) collected two doubles, drove in two runs, scored twice, and drew a pair of walks from the third spot in the lineup, while senior Andrew Decker (Baltimore, Md./Towson), the cleanup hitter, had three hits, two RBI, two runs scored, and stole a base.
Johns Hopkins (15-12, 5-3 CC) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in their first at-bats on Friday, but Gettysburg answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first to knot the score.
Neels first connected on an RBI double and later came around to score the tying run on an error by the Blue Jays following an RBI single from Decker.
The visitors went back ahead in the top of the second, but the Bullets plated three more runs in the home half of the frame to claim a 6-4 lead. Decker hit his second RBI single of the game to start the rally before Neels came home when senior Mark Seibert (Yardley, Pa./Holy Ghost Preparatory) reached on a fielder’s choice. Decker then stole home for the host’s sixth run of the contest.
A two-run double by Johns Hopkins in the visitor’s third leveled the score at 6-apiece, and the game stayed even until the bottom of the sixth when Gettysburg scored four runs on two hits, two walks, and three errors.
Muir discord the go-ahead run on a wild pitch before Decker came home on an error by the Blue Jays. Seibert then hit an RBI double before coming home on a Matthew Peipher (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) base hit that gave the hosts a 10-6 lead.
Johns Hopkins got a run back in the top of the seventh, but the Bullets countered with two in the home half of the inning. First, Muir connected on an RBI single before crossing the plate on another RBI double from Neels to push the host’s cushion to 12-7.
A Gettysburg error in the visitor’s eighth allowed the Blue Jays to score their final run of the game, but the Bullets again responded with two runs of their own in the bottom part of the frame to cap the scoring as Peipher came home on an error before a wild pitch brought junior JR McCloskey (Huntington Station, N.Y./Chaminade) in with the game’s final run.
Sophomore Patrick Clementi (King of Prussia, Pa./Devon Prep) was credited with the win with one run against in the sixth inning while junior Brett Leighton (Collegeville, Pa./Pope John Paul II) notched his second save of the year by tossing the final three innings and surrendering an unearned run while striking out one batter.
Junior Ken Spadaccini (Cresskill, N.J./Cresskill) fanned four batters and was charged with two runs in four innings after relieving freshman starter Connor Stewart (Hickory, N.C./NC School of Science and Math), who struck out a pair of batters in an inning of work.
Peipher was the fifth Bullets player with multiple hits after finishing the day 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base for Gettysburg, which outhit Johns Hopkins 15-7 in the contest.
The Bullets also took advantage of nine errors by the Blue Jays, as only six of the 14 runs scored by the Bullets were earned. The hosts committed two errors in the contest.
Gettysburg travels to Haverford College on Saturday for a key Centennial Conference doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m.
Featured Image: Junior Brett Leighton earned his second save of the season with three strong innings on Friday.
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