The Georgetown baseball team spent a rainy week in the San Francisco Bay area for spring break, and without a single win in their eight games, the Hoyas weren’t feeling the California love.

By the time that the Hoyas were safely back on the East Coast, their record had tumbled from 6-3 to 6-11.

“It was like, oh my God, we have to leave this state now,” Georgetown Head Coach Pete Wilk said. “You could almost feel it in the dugout.”

The offense – or lack thereof – was the biggest contributor to the Hoyas’ troubles. Georgetown never scored more than four runs in a game, and it was shut out three times. ost telling, the Hoyas were outscored 61 to 12 in the eight games.

“It was like we left our bats in the airport,” Wilk said.

Georgetown started off with a 2-0 loss to Saint Mary’s (11-8) in a classic pitcher’s duel, with Georgetown sophomore southpaw Michael Gaggioli and Saint Mary’s senior right-hander Joel Fountain racking up 18 total strikeouts in their complete game efforts. But Fountain’s one-hitter – including 10 Ks – sealed the win for the Gaels, while Gaggioli gave up two home runs that ended up putting the only runs on either end of the scoreboard.

The Hoyas actually loaded the bases on an error and two walks in the top of the ninth, but senior first baseman Ryan Craft struck out swinging to end the game. With that, Gaggioli had to settle for the loss in what would have otherwise been an excellent eight-strikeout outing.

Things got progressively worse as the Hoyas dropped their next two games to the Gaels by scores of 9-1 and 15-2. Then Georgetown lost 13-2 to the University of California (10-8), the toughest opponent the Hoyas have faced this season.

“We played very well for five innings with them, and then the wheels kind of came off,” Wilk said.

The next day against San Jose State (15-9), Georgetown made a valiant comeback in the top of the ninth inning. The Hoyas rallied together to score three runs on a string of doubles and singles in their last chance of the game. But it was not enough to overcome the Spartans’ lead, and the final score stood at 5-4. Senior outfielder/DH Drew Dargen’s five-game hit streak ended in that defeat.

The final stop, a three-game series with San Francisco (9-11), ended in another sweep of Georgetown: 8-3, 5-0 and 4-0.

For Wilk, it was the first time in his seven years at Georgetown that the team went winless during the annual spring trip.

“They were all solid teams, but beatable,” Wilk said. “We just didn’t hit as a team. . It was incredibly frustrating.”

When Wednesday’s meeting with Coppin State (3-16-1) arrived, the Hoyas needed a win against the slumping Eagles to put that ugly week behind them.

And that’s what Georgetown did, overcoming Coppin State with a 9-3 victory. The bats that had been so silent in California suddenly came back to life, as the Hoya offense came together for 14 hits.

“We desperately needed that,” Wilk said. “It was a huge run for us coming off of that awful trip.”

The Hoyas got the game started off well with two runs in the top of the first. With Jones on second following a wild pitch and cLaughlin on third after stealing that base, junior catcher Brandon Davis brought them home with a single.

Eagle junior centerfielder Amiel Traynum tripled in the fifth inning, scoring two teammates to sneak up on Georgetown, which now lead 3-2. But any nerves that the Hoyas felt were erased by their six-run sixth inning.

The rally was vintage small ball, as Hoya batters dropped in base hits to move their teammates around the diamond. With the bases loaded and one out, McLaughlin doubled to score sophomore third baseman Matthew Bouchard and senior shortstop Matthew Johnson. Then junior left fielder Derek DeGrijs crossed the plate on senior right fielder Timmy Jones’ sacrifice fly. The Hoyas’ three other runs were unearned due to the shortstop error that allowed them all to advance a base.

Georgetown actually batted all the way through the order, as Bouchard, who started off the inning, came back up. He walked, causing Coppin State Head Coach Peter Buck to pull the pitcher, junior right-hander Paul Ramirez, who had only come in to pitch at the beginning of that inning. Senior righty Matt Bellon, relieving the reliever, got the next batter, Johnson, to ground out to end the inning.

The Eagles would tack on another run in the ninth, but the win would remain far out of reach for Coppin State. Starter Alex Hangland (1-3) actually took the loss, while Georgetown senior starter Stephen Burns brought his record up to 3-1.

With this confidence-building victory, the Hoyas, now 7-11, go into a three-game home series with Duquesne this weekend at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda, Md. Saturday’s doubleheader gets started at noon, with the Sizemore brothers, senior Warren and freshman Darren, each getting a chance to start.

“We’re just trying to take one game at a time and start another streak,” Wilk said, “but I tell ya, if we keep playing these streaks where we’re winning five and losing five . I think my hair’s gonna fall out, or go gray.”