BALTIMORE, MD – Cairn Baseball opened their season on the road at Johns Hopkins, the sixth-ranked team in the nation, on Wednesday, dropping the game 16-3.
 
After a one-two-three first inning, junior catcher Zach Bauers (Cooper City, FL / Cooper City) sent a lead-off shot over the right centerfield fence to put Cairn (0-1 / UNITED EAST) on the board. The Blue Jays responded in the bottom half with three home runs in the inning, the second of which was a three-run homer, taking the lead 6-1.
 
When Bauers came up again in the third, he had senior outfielder Dylan Jackson (Levittown, PA / Chestnut Hill College) on first and homered to left center field for his 100^th career hit plus the second and third RBI of the day for him. With the lead cut in half, Johns Hopkins (3-0 / CENTENNIAL) hit two more over the fence, pushing ahead 11-3.
 
With a quiet fourth and fifth inning, the Blue Jays added on in the sixth, scoring on a fielder's choice and a pair of doubles later with two outs. Senior right-hander Carlos Valenzuela (Langhorne, PA / Kentucky Country Day) shut down the Johns Hopkins lineup with 2.1 scoreless innings to end the game, striking out five while allowing only three hits and a walk. The Highlanders were held scoreless for the remainder of the contest, dropping their first game of the young season, 16-3.
 
Bauers led the way on offense with a pair of hits, the 99^th and 100^th of his career, both of which were home runs, in addition to three RBI and two runs. Sophomore right-hander Mikey Gutierrez (Cooper City, FL / St. Thomas Aquinas) took the loss while Valenzuela was the only pitcher to not allow a run.
 
The Highlanders will head down to Hood College for a doubleheader on Saturday.