Release courtesy of Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications

• Score: #8 Wheaton (MA)- 4, #1 Johns Hopkins- 2
• Records: WC (42-7), JHU (42-5)
• Pitching Decision: W: Zach Clesas (7-2), L: Gabe Romano (10-1), S: Zach Nichols (8)
• The Short Story: In a game where the starting pitchers reigned supreme, the Lyons capitalized on three Blue Jays errors in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 4-2 lead. Zach Nichols came in relief to pick up the final five outs and close out a win for Wheaton in game one of the super regional.

How It Happened

• Johns Hopkins were able to jump out to an early lead in the top of the second inning after the inning was started off with three straight singles from Shawn Steuerer, Sam Frank, and Tripp Myers. Myers single drove in Steuerer to score the game's first run. The bases were loaded after Jimmy Stevens was hit by a pitch and Dylan Whitney tacked another run on to the lead when he lofted a sacrifice fly into left field to bring in Sam Frank.
• Gabe Romano was in an early groove for the Blue Jays on the mound, shutting out the Lyons through the first four innings. It took Romano only 34 pitches to get through his first four innings. Kevin Matos got Wheaton on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning when he drove a 2-0 fastball over the right center field fence to lead off the inning. It was Matos' 13^th home run of the season, which leads the Lyons.
• Cavan Brady started off the bottom of the seventh with a base hit through the right side. From there, the inning became very sloppy from the Blue Jays. Three errors from Johns Hopkins allowed three runs to score for Wheaton and take its first lead of the game 4-2. Timmy Wagner and AJ Guindon picked up RBIs to help spur the three-run surge.
• The Blue Jays gave a last-ditch effort to come back in the ninth inning after the inning started with singles from Dillon Souvignier and Steuerer led things off. Zach Nichols was able to bear down and set down the last three Blue Jay batters, in order, to lock down the win for the Lyons.

Inside the Box Score

• After allowing two runs in the second inning, Clesas mowed down the JHU lineup retiring 18 of the last 19 hitters that he faced to earn his seventh win of the season.
• All seven of the Blue Jays hits were singles in the game today, which is only the second time this season they did not have an extra-base hit in a game. The other game was a 4-2 win for JHU against Franklin & Marshall on 5/2.
• In three postseason starts this season, Romano has pitched 26 innings and only allowed five earned runs and punching out 23 hitters.

Up Next

• Johns Hopkins will take on Wheaton once again at 11 am tomorrow morning in an elimination game at Babb Field. The Blue Jays will need to defeat the Lyons twice to move on to the Division III World Series.