CHANDLER, AZ. 3/16/09 - The Keene State College baseball team improved its spring week trip record to 3-2 with a 10-9 victory over Johns Hopkins University at Snedigar Field in Chandler, Arizona on Monday.

            Ranked fifth in last week's D3baseball poll, John Hopkins (3-4), were the national Division III runner-ups and the only team to defeat national champ Trinity College last year.

            Trailing 4-0, the Owls scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning on a two-run triple by junior Beau Darak (Londonderry, N.H.) and an RBI single by freshman Mark Julius (Meriden, Conn.).

             The Blue Jays went up 5-3 in the top of the third, but the Owls got that run back in the bottom of the frame when senior Jeff Perkins (Dunbarton, N.H.) led off with a double and came home on a RBI double by junior Keith Patnode (Keene, N.H.).

            After JHU came back with a run, Keene State took the lead, plating four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to go up 8-6.  The Owls had six straight hits to start the inning with Julius, Perkins, and senior Jamie Chevalier (Amherst, N.H.) notching RBI singles and Patnode driving in a run with a sacrifice fly.

            The Blue Jays scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to tie the score.

            Keene State broke the tie with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 10-8 game.  Perkins was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a single by Chevalier.  Perkins later came in to score on a failed pick-off play at first.  Chevalier moved around to third and came home on Patnode's second sacrifice fly of the game.

            John's Hopkins made things interesting scoring one run in the top of the eighth, but in the ninth with runners on first and second, junior reliever Rob DelBuono (Trumbull, Conn.) fanned Dan Merzel to end the game.

            "Johns Hopkins is one of the best teams down here, so it's nice to come away with a win," said KSC Coach Ken Howe.  "It's also important for many of our young players to learn how to win close games."

            The Owls' bats continued hot, finishing with 16 hits.  Chevalier went 3-for-5 while Perkins, Patnode, Tyler DiPrato (Suffield, Conn.), Darak, and Julius each had two hits.

            Junior Ben Sonberg (Bow, N.H.) started for the Owls and battled to get his first win to the season.  He went 6 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs on 13 hits with three strikeouts and a walk.  Senior Danny Martin (Cromwell, Conn.), junior Jeff Raymond (Amston, Conn.), and DelBuono followed Sonberg to the mound.  Delbuono pitched the ninth, giving up one hit and picking up a strikeout. 

            Keene State plays a single nine-inning game against William Patterson (N.J.) University on Tuesday.