A right-handed pitcher in a black jersey and blue cap delivers a pitch

Credit: Steve Frommell / d3photography.com

Baseball: No. 1 Johns Hopkins advances to DIII championship series

The Blue Jays will take on Lynchburg in a best-of-three series for the NCAA DIII title

Johns Hopkins University's top-ranked baseball team moved one step closer to the program's first national championship on Monday, riding a complete game gem from sophomore pitcher Matt Savedoff to an 8-2 win against Baldwin Wallace and advancing to the NCAA Division III championship series for the second time in program history.

The Blue Jays (47-6) will square off with Lynchburg (46-7) in a best-of-three series beginning Wednesday at 1 p.m. EDT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with the winner crowned national champion. Game 2 will be at noon EDT on Thursday, June 8, with Game 3 50 minutes afterward if necessary. Both teams are vying for their first NCAA baseball championship.

Johns Hopkins last played in the championship series in 2008, falling in three games to Trinity College of Connecticut.

Baldwin Wallace defeated JHU 6-3 earlier in the day Monday to force an elimination game, but Savedoff made sure the Blue Jays didn't head home early. He tossed nine innings, striking out seven and allowing nine hits to improve to 10-0. He received plenty of support, too, as all but one of JHU's starters recorded at least one hit in the game. Matthew Cooper, Dillon Souvignier, and Dylan Whitney each had two hits, and Whitney and Caleb Cyr drove in two runs apiece. Complete box score

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