BASEBALL GU Makes West Coast Trip Over Break By John-Paul Hezel Hoya Staff Writer

Ruthie Braunstein/The Hoya The Georgetown baseball team is off to a 5-15 record after its California trip.

While their fellow classmates visited the likes of Antigua and took cruises in the Caribbean, the Georgetown baseball team played 10 games in nine days and traveled more than 3,000 miles over spring break.

After two double headers versus Lafayette College on March 2 and 3 in Bethesda, Md., the Hoyas flew to California for six games against California, Cal Poly, Bethany College and St. Mary’s. Georgetown beat Lafayette twice and destroyed Cal Poly, but lost three nail biters by one run and lost another two games by three runs. Despite the 3-7 record, which included a blow out loss to end the West Coast swing, the young Hoyas enjoyed the road trip and showed signs of improvement that will only help heading into Big East play this weekend.

“We have a close team,” Head Coach Peter Wilk said. “We enjoyed being around each other for seven days. No question, it was a positive for us.”

Georgetown 7, Lafayette 5

Freshman shortstop Matt Johnson hit his first collegiate home run, a solo shot to lead off the third inning in which the Hoyas scored four runs. Sophomore infielder Ron Cano went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and sophomore outfielder Carlos Gazitua had two singles, two runs, an RBI and a stolen base. Sophomore right-hander Kevin Field (1-1) allowed one earned run in six innings for his first win. Sophomore reliever Kevin Galvin picked up his first save.

Lafayette 13, Georgetown 12

Seven Hoyas accounted for 16 hits. Cano and junior third baseman Tony Lee each had three, while junior infielder Matt Carullo, Gazitua, sophomore first baseman Bret McLeod, freshman outfielder Bill Quinn and Johnson had two apiece. Lafayette broke a 10-10 tie with three runs in the top of the eighth, but Georgetown left the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the inning. The Hoyas also committed three costly errors. “We couldn’t catch the freakin’ ball,” Wilk said.

Georgetown 7, Lafayette 3

Designated hitter Mike Green and Quinn each went 3-for-3 and Bret McLeod added a bases clearing triple to give the Hoyas the lead for good in the third. The Hoyas added two insurance runs in the fourth on an RBI triple by Cano and a Gazitua sacrifice fly. Senior left-hander Eric Sutton (2-2) scattered 11 hits over five and one-third innings, walking two and striking out five for the win.

Lafayette 8, Georgetown 2

The first four batters for Lafayette reached base in the top of the first, and two of them scored. Green and Lee each knocked in a run during the third inning, but the Hoyas could muster little additional offense in the first game on the California trip.

California 6, Georgetown 5

The Hoyas blew a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the ninth and suffered the heartbreaking loss on a grand slam one inning later. Up 2-1 with two outs in the ninth, the Hoyas stood one strike away from victory, but allowed an RBI single to tie the game. In the top of the tenth, Georgetown surged ahead with three runs on a bases loaded walk to junior Robert O’Hare, an RBI single by Quinn and a wild pitch. But the Hoyas walked three in the last of the tenth and gave up the long blast to Cal’s clean-up hitter. “Winning teams don’t do that,” Wilk said. “We had one of the best teams in the country shut out. But the kids recognize they can play with anybody if they keep the intensity day in and day out.”

Cal Poly 4, Georgetown 3

Tied 3-3 in the eighth, the Hoyas lost their second consecutive one run game, this time on a bases loaded walk. Sophomore Michael Lombardi had the at-bat of the game in the fifth inning, a two-strike RBI single that put Georgetown up one. “He just choked up a bit and poked it to right,” Wilk said. But Poly tied it in the bottom half of the inning on three hits, including a two RBI double. According to Wilk, Field “competed his butt off” on the mound although he walked six and gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings. Georgetown did not reach base off of Poly’s ace who threw the last two innings to earn the victory.

Georgetown 13, Bethany College 1

Hoya pitchers set a school record with 16 strikeouts in the most lopsided win for Georgetown this season. Freshman right-hander Patrick Harrigan (2-0) struck out eight in five innings of one-run ball to earn the win. Freshman lefty Travis Danysh fanned one, senior righty Paul Perillo whiffed three and freshman southpaw Tyler Abbott and Galvin each struck out two, all in one inning apiece. On the offensive side, Gazitua, Quinn and McLeod each hit homeruns. Quinn went 3-for-4 with four runs scored and three RBI, Gazitua 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI and McLeod went 3-for-4 with one run and three RBI. McLeod’s homer was his first in college. “We did what we should have done,” Wilk said.

Saint Mary’s 5, Georgetown 2

Sutton (2-3) pitched a complete game but was hurt by poor outfield defense that doesn’t show up in the box score. “There were three or four balls that should have been caught in the outfield,” Wilk said. “I really thought we should have won that game. We didn’t because of the outfield.” Sutton walked one and struck out two. The offense could muster only four singles and a solo shot by Lombardi in the fourth.

Saint Mary’s 7, Georgetown 4

Although he gave up three runs in the first two innings, freshman right-handed starter Eddie Pena settled down and held St. ary’s scoreless in the third, fourth and fifth. But in the sixth, Pena hit the first two batters of the inning and then slipped on a bunt back to the mound, allowing the runner to reach on an infield single. “Coach Brown asked me before the inning who I wanted to get up,” Wilk said. “But I said that I thought [Pena] would be all right. No sooner plunk, plunk, bunt.” Lombardi hit his fifth double of the season and Carullo added his second home run, a two-run shot in the third.

Saint Mary’s 10, Georgetown 1

McLeod shattered his thumb after getting hit by a pitch, but proved his toughness by not saying anything after the umpire ruled that the pitch was ball four. The runner on second advanced to third on the play, and McLeod knew that he would have had to go back if the pitch had hit him. “He’s a pretty tough kid,” Wilk said. That toughness, however, did not translate into a Hoya victory. The first batter for St. Mary’s hit a home run, and the Hoyas had only four hits to St. Mary’s 17. In addition the one run in the first, St. Mary’s scored four runs in the third, one in the fifth, three in the seventh and one in the eighth. The Hoyas also committed three errors. “We got our butts handed to us,” Wilk said.