Back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Muhlenberg baseball team to a 6-4 victory over nationally ranked Johns Hopkins.
 
The teams ended up splitting the doubleheader, with Johns Hopkins taking game two, 14-6. The Mules (11-10, 2-3 CC) smacked 12 hits in the first game, none bigger than the solo home runs hit by senior John Icaza and sophomore Chris Grillo in the bottom of the seventh when the game was previously tied at 4-4.
 
Icaza's long ball led off the inning and gave Muhlenberg the lead, carrying well over the left center field fence for his third home run of the year. The senior is now the 15th Mule with 10 career home runs. Grillo (pictured above) then followed suit with a blast to left, his first this season and second of his career.
 
Senior Christopher Bunero, who had come in to pitch in the top half of the seventh, shut the Blue Jays (18-6, 4-1 CC) down from there to move his record to 3-0. He recorded three strikeouts and sealed the game by forcing a ground ball with runners on first and second that sophomore Jon Capra fielded and walked over to third base for the final out.
 
Icaza finished with three hits and two RBI in the first game to lead the Mules offensively. As a team, the Mules hit five doubles, including senior Robbie Hopes' RBI two-bagger that gave his team a 4-1 lead after two innings.
 
Starter RJ Hennessey allowed a run in the first inning but settled in from there, shutting the Blue Jays out over his next five innings. He struck out four and pitched into the seventh before Johns Hopkins rallied for three runs to tie the game.
 
The Blue Jays scored the first two runs in the second game as well, but the Mules rallied back again. Sophomore Matt Riebesell smacked a solo home run to left, his first of the season, to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the second inning. Riebesell started the Mules' fourth inning rally with a double and two batters later, senior Thomas Yohe brought Riebesell home on a RBI groundout to tie the game.
 
Muhlenberg took the lead in the next half inning, with junior Troy Vazquez slashing a two-RBI single to right field, plating Icaza and Grillo to make it 4-2.
 
Johns Hopkins rallied back, however, with one run in the sixth, three in the seventh to take the lead back, and eight more in the eighth. Freshman Billy Brittingham singled home two runs for Muhlenberg in the ninth as both teams subbed out starters toward the end of the game.
 
Junior Timmy Pilrun started game two for Muhlenberg, going six innings while allowing five hits and three runs and striking out three. Junior Austin Disher pitched to the final four batters, striking out each batter he faced to set a new career high.
 
Icaza finished the doubleheader with four hits, moving him into ninth on Muhlenberg's career hit list with 154. Riebesell and Hopes each had three total hits and Grillo went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI in game one.
 
Muhlenberg has now won three of its last four games against Johns Hopkins. Since 2012, the Mules have won at least one game against the Blue Jays when playing at Cedarcreek Field.