Georgetown Drops Pair

Georgetown’s baseball team began this season right where if left off last year – with a pair of losses. The Hoyas lost by a score of 7-1 on Saturday and lost 12-4 on Sunday.

In the weekend and season opener, the Hoyas played a much closer game than indicated.

After five innings, the game was tied at one, as each team scored early. But in the bottom of the sixth, William & Mary got to Georgetown senior starting pitcher Randy Erwin. The left-hander allowed three hits in the inning, the same number the Tribe had mustered off him through the first five. Senior third baseman Stephen Booker beat out an infield hit and stole second.

After Erwin struck out junior shortstop Brendan Harris, sophomore center fielder and Tribe clean-up hitter Michael Brown singled to left. Sophomore designated hitter C.J. Stimson then doubled down the left field line, scoring Booker. Brown then stole home to put William & Mary up 3-1 before Erwin retired the last two hitters of the inning.

Erwin would depart after pitching six full innings, allowing six hits and three runs, all earned. He struck out three and walked only one, keeping the game within reach for the offense that had only four hits for the game.

Georgetown attempted to answer the Tribe in the top of the seventh, but to no avail. Sophomore right fielder Robert O’Hare singled to open the inning and stole second with one out. However, both freshman designated hitter Bret McLeod and junior pinch-hitter Eric Sutton struck out swinging to end any threat from the Hoyas.

The Tribe padded its lead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh off freshman pitcher Kevin Galvin who replaced Erwin. Galvin walked sophomore second baseman Trey Wakefield, but recorded his first collegiate strikeout two men later after a sacrifice bunt moved Wakefield to second. With two outs, Booker tripled for his third hit of the day, scoring Wakefield, and Brown doubled to score Booker and Harris who had walked, to make it 6-1.

The Tribe added the extra run in the eighth.

The failure to get a clutch hit with a man in scoring position plagued the Hoyas all afternoon. Senior left fielder Marc Carlini singled to lead off the top of the third, advancing to second on a ground out to first base. Yet, sophomore second baseman Matt Carullo grounded out to shortstop and senior center fielder Jim Vankoski struck out looking, stranding Carlini at third base.

In the fourth, the Hoyas could not capitalize on a two-out walk to O’Hare and a single by freshman catcher Michael Lombardi.

Georgetown scored its lone run in the top of the second. Sophomore Jason Boice reached on an error and then scored an unearned run on a double by O’Hare.

William & Mary starting pitcher, sophomore right-hander Whitt Farr, held the Hoyas to four hits and one unearned run over six and a third innings. He struck out six and walked two.

While the Hoyas committed only two errors in Saturday’s game, on Sunday their poor defense led to the teams undoing. Georgetown committed two errors in the third inning and four more in the fifth inning, allowing four runs in each frame.

In the third, Booker singled to right and advanced on an error by the Hoyas senior starting left-handed pitcher senior Eric Sutton. Harris then hit a two-run homer to left giving the Tribe a 2-0 lead. With two outs, Stimson scored when sophomore first baseman Tim Jones reached on an error by Boice. Jones later scored the fourth run of the inning.

With junior relief pitcher Matt Arizin in for Sutton, O’Kelly walked to start the bottom of the fifth, Jones struck out swinging and Wakefield reached on an error by Hoyas freshman shortstop Ron Cano. Junior catcher Matt Kirby singled in O’Kelley. A failed pick-off attempt and a single later, two more runs were scored on an error by Vankoski. After a steal, a walk, a wild pitch and an error by junior third baseman Brian Cassese, the Tribe scored their eighth run on a sacrifice fly. Boice dropped a foul ball for the fourth error of the inning before the Hoyas made it out of the inning.

Four spots seemed to be the trend, as William & Mary scored four runs, this time all earned off junior right-hander P.J. artinez, again in the seventh inning.

The Hoyas scored a run in the sixth and added three in the ninth, but by then the Tribe had put the game well out of reach.

Only two games into the season, the Hoyas have much room for improvement, and have plenty of time to find it. They continue the 2001 campaign this weekend in Durham, N.C. against the Duke Blue Devils.