BALTIMORE – The Haverford College baseball team (24-16) was defeated in the Centennial Conference Championship game on Sunday afternoon at Babb Field on the campus of Johns Hopkins University, as the host and top-ranked Blue Jays (39-3) claimed a third consecutive title with a 14-4 victory. Haverford, which earned its spot in Sunday's final after two wild victories during a marathon Saturday, was stymied by the Johns Hopkins bullpen, managing just two hits over the final five innings against Cole Jefferson and Tyler Sugrim.
Harry Genth led off the contest with his 23rd home run of the season, extending his NCAA Division III lead and putting the Fords on the scoreboard just five pitches into the game. The momentum from Genth's blast carried into the bottom of the first, where Jack Couture worked a scoreless frame on the hill. Luke Treese singled to begin the second, but was ultimately stranded.
Johns Hopkins responded in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases after a Jimmy Stevens double, a Jacob Harris single, and a walk to Clay Hartje. The Blue Jays plated a run on a Jake Siani bases-loaded walk, and added another on a Dylan Whitney sacrifice fly to take their first lead.
In the top of the third, rookie Jackson Sgro connected on a towering three-run home run—his record-setting blast extending his Centennial Conference rookie record. After Genth walked and Wallis was hit by a pitch, Sgro delivered a no-doubt shot over the left-field fence, electrifying the Haverford dugout and putting the Fords ahead, 4-2.
But the Blue Jays had a swift response, rallying for five runs in the bottom of the third. Caleb Cyr singled and Dillon Souvignier walked, followed by another walk to Stevens to load the bases. Harris then launched a line-drive grand slam over the right-field fence to give Hopkins a 6-4 lead. Hartje followed with a solo shot to left, extending the advantage to three.
Adam Naegelen came on in relief and kept the game within reach with a gutsy peformance, tossing scoreless frames in the fourth and fifth after stemming the tide in the third.
Naegelen started the sixth, but after Cyr and Souvignier singled, Ethan Goldstein was called in from the bullpen. Harris again delivered the big blow, launching his second home run of the day—this time a three-run shot—to stretch the Hopkins lead to 10-4.
Daniel Rosman singled to lead off the seventh, and Treese added a two-out double in the eighth, but the Blue Jays' bullpen remained steady to close out the win and clinch the title.
Haverford finishes the 2025 season with its most wins since the 2016 campaign, reaching the Centennial Conference final for the first time since 2019 and earning its 16th Centennial Conference tournament berth.
The Fords will graduate an impactful senior class of 13, a group that left an indelible mark on the trajectory of the program. This historic season saw new program records in multiple offensive categories, including home runs, hits, and runs scored. Seasoned captains Sam Cohen and Chuck Norton will continue their leadership into their senior seasons, while key contributions from rookie standouts such as David Bertz and Jack Couture on the mound, and Jackson Sgro and Miles Prusek in the infield, promise a bright future for the program.
