The weekend for the Georgetown baseball team (20-13, 4-5 Big East) started auspiciously but ended with a clunker, as the Hoyas took one of three games in a home series against St. John’s (15-20, 5-7 Big East).

Redshirt sophomore starting pitcher Jack Vander Linden pitched a gem on Friday en route to a 3-0 win, but the Blue and Gray failed to win the series after losing 4-3 Saturday and being routed 20-1 on Sunday.

That 19-run loss was the program’s worst defeat since a 25-1 defeat at the hands of Notre Dame in March 2008.

The start of the series did not foreshadow what was to come at all, as Vander Linden pitched eight-plus scoreless innings. Friday was just the latest in a series of strong outings from Vander Linden, who has established himself as Georgetown’s ace with a 3-1 record in nine starts and a stellar 2.80 ERA. He got the support he needed in Game 1, too, thanks to run-scoring hits by senior second baseman Danny Poplawski and left fielder Paul Bello, that lifted the team to a plus-.500 Big East record for the time being.

The Blue and Gray could not replicate their early-inning success on Saturday however, as St. John’s outfielder Martin Kelly hit a three-run home run off senior Georgetown starter Thomas Polus in the third inning to fall into an early hole. After Polus gave up another run at the top of the fourth inning, the Hoyas were able to stage a rally to bring the deficit to one thanks to runs from senior center fielder Justin Leeson and junior right fielder Christian Venditti.

Although Georgetown looked in prime position to finish its comeback, it could not get any runners past first base after the sixth inning, and the Johnnies escaped with the 4-3 victory.

Sunday was nowhere near as competitive, as the Red Storm hammered the Hoya pitching staff early and often en route to a 20-1 pasting. Sophomore starter Matt Hollenbeck (1-4) lasted only one inning, giving up two runs. The bullpen would fare far worse, as the trio of freshman Tim Davis, senior James Heine and freshman Gino Basso allowed six runs apiece.

The stars for St. John’s were Frank Schwindel, who posted five hits and six RBIs in the blowout, and pitcher Ryan Horstman, who hurled eight innings of one-run ball.

Georgetown Head Coach Pete Wilk did not respond to requests to comment for this story.

The Hoyas hope to bounce back from their final game against the Johnnies when they take the field today, travelling to Fairfax, Va., to face off against George Mason (13-23, 5-13 CAA). First pitch will be at 3 p.m.