Peyton Williams/Courtesy Georgetown Sports Information Sophomore outfielder Billy Quinn slides to the plate. Quinn batted .250 against the Wildcats in the third and final game of their series.

Runs were hard to come by last weekend, as the Georgetown baseball team faced Villanova in a three-game series at the Ballpark at Plymouth.

The Hoyas split a doubleheader with the Wildcats on Saturday, losing the opener 4-3 in extra innings but winning the second game 4-1. The Hoyas were shut out in Sunday’s rubber match, 5-0.

All three games featured strong pitching performances by both teams. In Saturday’s first game, which was scheduled for seven innings, senior Pat Salvitti pitched his fourth complete game in four starts. Salvitti lasted 7.2 innings and allowed just four runs (two earned), but lost when Villanova scored in the bottom of the eighth on a bases-loaded walk.

Georgetown (10-32 overall, 2-21 Big East) scored in the first inning. Freshman Timmy Jones and junior Michael Lombardi reached on walks and sophomore Andrew Cleary was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Senior Rob O’Hare drew a walk to bring in a run to make it 1-0 in favor of the Hoyas.

After Villanova tied the score in the bottom of the inning, Georgetown pulled ahead with two runs in the top of the fifth. O’Hare’s two-run homer scored sophomore Billy Quinn and gave the Hoyas a 3-1 lead.

Yet Villanova came back to tie the game with two runs in the sixth. Neither team scored in the seventh, forcing the teams to play extra innings.

Salvitti quickly found himself in a jam in the eighth. After a walk to the leadoff man, the next two batters reached on Georgetown errors to load the bases with none out. Salvitti nearly worked himself out of the inning by getting two straight popup outs. But he missed on a 3-1 pitch to Villanova’s Mitch Mitchell to force in the game-winning run as the Wildcats took a 4-3 victory.

“I think we gave them the first game, which is frustrating,” Head Coach Pete Wilk said. “Both [errors] were plays that, at this level, must be made when the game is on the line. We did not get it done.”

The Hoyas rebounded in the second game. Wildcats’ pitcher James Baxter had a wild third inning. Baxter walked junior Ron Cano to start the inning and then gave up a single to freshman Danny Gronski. Jones walked to load the bases, and Carullo’s sacrifice fly scored Cano for the first run of the game. After a walk to Lombardi, Cleary also hit a sacrifice fly. Quinn walked to once again put runners at every base, and freshman Drew Dargen earned a free pass to force in the third run of the inning.

Georgetown added a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Jones to give the Hoyas a 4-1 lead.

“We did our job,” Wilk said. “We moved runners, we had two sac flies, the situational hitting improved drastically in the second game, and that is why we won, along with Field’s effort.”

Junior Kevin Field dominated on the mound. The Hoyas’ pitching staff leader surrendered just one run in eight innings, scattering seven hits and walk while striking out eight. Field improved to 2-3 on the year, and freshman Steven Burns earned his second save with a scoreless ninth.

Freshman Warren Sizemore turned in a strong start for the Hoyas on Sunday, but was unfortunately matched up against Villanova ace John Yeager. Both pitchers went the distance, but Yeager’s six-hit shutout overshadowed Sizemore’s solid outing. Sizemore gave up five runs (four earned) on nine hits, but only one that went for extra bases.

“Warren pitched extremely well and probably deserved to win,” Wilk said.

Villanova scored once in the second inning and again in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead. That was more than enough for Yeager, who gave up just six singles and two walks. Georgetown did not mount a threat until the final two innings, when they had runners on first and second with one out in both the eighth and ninth. Yeager got out of the inning unscathed in both cases.

The Wildcats scored three more runs in the eighth on a bases-loaded double that made it 5-0.

Dargen led the Hoyas offensively with two hits. Sizemore, meanwhile, saw his record fall to 3-6.

Overall, Wilk said he was pleased with the series but would have liked to come away with more wins.

“Anytime you play a three game series and only have to use four arms is pretty good,” Wilk said. “Had we had any sort of offensive eruption I think we would have been 3-0.”

With five games left in the season, Wilk hopes to finish strong. He also looks forward to good things from his three seniors in their last games.

“I am very eager for Patrick Salvitti to continue his outstanding second half, and I hope he ends his college career with what he deserves, a win,” Wilk said. “It is O’Hare and Carullo’s last time out too, and I am hoping they end on a high note as well.”

Georgetown closes out its home schedule this week with two games at Shirley Povich Field. On Tuesday, the Hoyas face Coppin State at 2:30 p.m. The Hoyas’ final home game against George Mason is Wednesday at 2 p.m. Georgetown will finish its season this weekend with three games at Seton Hall.