Dan Gelfand/The Hoya Freshman outfielder Derek deGrijs went to bat three times in Georgetown’s 5-1 loss to St. John’s on Sunday, but had no hits.

The Georgetown baseball team dropped two of three games last weekend, sandwiching a 4-1 win between a pair of losses at The Ballpark at St. John’s University.

The Red Storm kept Georgetown’s offense in check in the first and final games, winning 9-2 and 5-1.

Georgetown (17-13, 3-3 Big East) fell a game and a half out of first place in the conference.

The series began unfavorably for the Hoyas. Sophomore pitcher Warren Sizemore was unable to get out of the first inning in Saturday’s opener, giving up three runs before recording an out. St. John’s (11-9, 2-1) scored six times in the frame and cruised to a 9-2 win.

Sizemore lasted just two-thirds of an inning before giving way to junior Travis Danysh. The loss dropped Sizemore’s record to 2-3 on the year.

Facing an early deficit, the Hoyas’ offense never got on track. Senior Red Storm pitcher Joe Reid struggled with his control, walking six batters in 5.2 innings, but Georgetown was unable to capitalize. The Hoyas left the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth innings.

“We’re struggling to score runs as it is, and to go down 6-0 in the first inning really took the wind out of our sails,” Head Coach Pete Wilk said.

Trailing 9-0, Georgetown finally broke through in the top of the sixth. Sophomore first baseman Drew Dargen drew a one-out walk, and advanced to third on a double by junior second baseman Parker Brooks. Dargen later scored on a groundout by junior right fielder Jim Supple. Brooks advanced to third on the play and came home on a wild pitch.

Senior designated hitter Mike Lombardi had a fine day at the plate, hitting 3-for-3 with a walk. Lombardi’s batting average stands at .336.

Georgetown’s pitching and hitting improved in Saturday’s nightcap. A strong start by freshman Erick Chandler and a big inning led to a 4-1 win.

Georgetown jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second. Junior right fielder Andrew Cleary was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and sophomore center fielder Timmy Jones followed with a single to put runners at the corners.

After Dargen popped out, sophomore shortstop Matt Johnson legged out a bunt single to score Cleary and moved Jones up to second. He would later score on a single through the right side by senior left fielder Ron Cano. Johnson would score the final run of the inning on an error by Red Storm center fielder Eric Grabowski.

St. John’s scored its lone run in the bottom of the third. Chandler retired the first two batters, but senior shortstop Mike Rozema drew a walk and stole second. Rozema would score on a single by junior infielder P.J. Antoniato, but the inning ended when Cano threw him out at second base.

Chandler worked himself out of minor jams with the help of strong defense. Georgetown turned an inning-ending double play in the fourth, and Lombardi and Jones each threw runners out on the base paths. Chandler (3-2) scattered seven hits in seven innings while giving up just one run to earn the win.

“He had a little extra motivation [Saturday],” Wilk said. “He was spurned a little bit by St. John’s in the recruiting process, and I think he put a little bit extra on the ball.”

Cleary padded the Hoyas’ lead in the fifth, when he led off his sixth home run, a solo shot to left field.

Georgetown’s bullpen continued its strong season, as freshman Mark Dutmers and junior Thomas Braun each pitched one scoreless inning. Braun earned his fourth save of the year.

The Hoyas’ offensive woes returned in the final game of the series on Sunday. Georgetown drew seven walks, but managed just two hits in a 5-1 defeat.

St. John’s jumped out to an early lead with another big inning. The Red Storm scored four runs on five hits in the bottom of the second, hitting sophomore Stephen Burns hard in his first start since March 11.

The Red Storm added another run in the third to take a 5-0 lead. Burns (1-4) took the loss, giving up all five runs in three innings of work.

Junior Eddie Pena pitched well in relief, contributing five scoreless innings in which he allowed just two hits.

Georgetown scored its only run in the seventh. Sophomore third baseman Danny Gronski was hit by a pitch, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brooks. After Supple struck out, junior designated hitter Billy Quinn broke up the shutout with an RBI single.

Despite collecting just two hits in the game, the Hoyas had several scoring opportunities, but stranded runners in scoring position in four innings.

“We’re not coming up with timely hitting. Last year we tore the cover off the ball, but we didn’t pitch or catch the ball. This year, we’re pitching and playing defense, but we’re not hitting. If those three facets come together, we’re going to get on a roll. I believe hitting is contagious, and I think we’re getting close to breaking out of this.”

The Hoyas travel to Baltimore Wednesday to take on UMBC at 3 p.m. Freshman Trey Martin (2-1, 4.79 ERA) will make his second start.