For the Georgetown baseball team, an encounter with Coppin State is always a welcome occasion. The Hoyas have laid waste to the Eagles in recent years, as evidenced by 17-11 and 19-7 thrashings, respectively, in the past two seasons.

This year’s matchup was no exception, as Georgetown (23-15, 5-7 Big East) powered by CoppinState (12-27, 8-12 MEAC) 13-6 Wednesday on the Eagles’ home turf in Baltimore.

Wednesday’s game marked another nonconference win for the Hoyas, who are 5-0 in the one-game midweek clashes against smaller-conference teams sandwiched by the weekends’ typical three-game Big East series. The victory over the Eagles was key for a team gearing up to face No. 24 Louisville (30-10, 8-4 Big East) this weekend after losing its last two series in conference play.

Georgetown was led Wednesday by the bats of freshman third baseman Curtiss Pomeroy and senior designated hitter Corbin Blakey, who recorded four and three RBIs, respectively. The Hoyas also got an assist from the Eagles’ struggling pitchers, who gave up nine walks on the day; Georgetown especially victimized Coppin State relief pitcher Jhar Devilme, tagging him for five runs at the start of the fifth inning before the freshman could record an out.

The Blue and Gray took a lead at the top of the first inning thanks to RBI singles from freshman catcher Nick Collins and Blakey. However, Coppin State rallied in the bottom of the  inning to score three runs off sophomore starting pitcher Will Brown, (3-1, 2.59 ERA) who was making his first start of the season while the Hoyas rested senior Thomas Polus and sophomores Jack Vander Linden and Matt Hollenbeck in preparation for the weekend’s Louisville series. Senior setup man Neal Dennison and senior closer Charlie Steinman, Georgetown’s two best relievers also got the day off in order to recover for the tough weekend ahead.

The Blue and Gray would not need their best pitchers on the day, however, as they soon broke the game open. After Pomeroy’s double in the fourth scored Blakey — who recorded four hits — the teams entered the fifth tied at 3-3. Georgetown’s offensive potency and Devilme’s wild pitching would ensure that the score would be much different by the end of the half-inning.

All told, the Hoyas scored six runs in the inning on RBIs from Blakey, Pomeroy and senior left fielder Paul Bello, as six straight Georgetown batters reached base before Coppin State could muster a single out. The Hoyas would cruise from there en route to the 13-6 win.

Even after the confidence-building outing, Georgetown will have Coppin State firmly in the rearview mirror as it begins its series with Louisville today. The Cardinals, who reached the regional round of the NCAA tournament last year, currently sit in third in the conference standings but are the highest ranked Big East team as well as, unequivocally, the best team Georgetown will have faced this season.

To have a chance in the series, the Hoyas will need outstanding performances from their starting pitchers in order to give Dennison and Steinman the ball with a chance to win the game in the later innings. Additionally the Blue and Gray will need their best hitters — including Collins, second baseman Trevor Matern, with his .353 batting average, senior center fielder and pro prospect Justin Leeson and power-hitting junior right fielder Christian Venditti — to produce off Louisville’s standout pitching staff, something that few hitters have accomplished this season.

It may be a tall order to earn a series victory against Louisville this weekend, but if Georgetown, currently ranked eighth in the Big East, is to reach the conference tournament, it will require a few unexpected results in the coming weekends. After the Louisville series, the Georgetown hopes that series against Pittsburgh (29-10, 9-3 Big East) and Rutgers (20-19, 8-7 Big East) will provide such opportunities

Georgetown and Louisville will face off in Louisville, Ky., at 6 p.m. today and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.