The Georgetown University baseball team continued its winning start at its new home in Capital One Park in Tysons, Va., following a three-game sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson University (3-12) with 44 combined runs in 2 blowout wins in a doubleheader over Cornell.

Originally, the Hoyas (10-6) were slated to square off against the Big Red (1-7) in a three-game set, but the March 9 game was called off due to heavy storms. The two teams instead played a doubleheader on March 10. 

Junior left-handed pitcher Andrew Williams toed the slab for the Hoyas in game one. Having recently been selected to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll for his performance against FDU last weekend, Williams picked up right where he left off. The southpaw twirled a scoreless 5 innings, striking out 2 while only allowing 3 hits and 2 walks.

Cornell’s starting pitcher Carson Mayfield needed just 6 pitches to sit the Georgetown offense down in the first inning. However, the Hoyas responded with 16 runs in the second, chasing Mayfield out of the game after lasting just 1 and 1/3 innings.

In an inning where the Hoyas batted around not once, but twice, junior catcher Owen Carapellotti recorded 3 hits and 4 runs batted in (RBI). Senior shortstop Michael Eze, breaking out of a 6-43 slump, then hit a pair of 2-run doubles. In addition, first-year middle infielder Blake Schaaf walked twice with the bases loaded to record 2 RBI. 

The Hoyas went quiet in the third inning before tacking on another 7 runs over the next 3 innings. Graduate third baseman Joe Hollerbach, facing his former team, drove in 2 runs with a single in the fourth, his fourth and fifth RBIs of the contest. In the fifth, senior first baseman Christian Ficca, also coming off of a selection to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll, blasted a 3-run homer. In the sixth, Eze tripled in Schaaf, his third extra-base hit of the game and fifth RBI. 

First-year right-handed pitcher Jack Volo turned in a scoreless sixth inning. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Andrew Jergins replaced Volo to start the seventh, but gave up a leadoff single, snowballing into 6 runs for Cornell. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Andrew Citron relieved Jergins with one out to end the inning, with Georgetown leading 23-6. 

In the eighth, first-year middle infielder Ashton Gilio singled in sophomore first baseman Luke Bauer to bring Georgetown’s total tally to 24 runs. Graduate right-handed pitcher Ayden Head pitched a clean ninth to close the book on the first game, securing a huge 24-6 victory for the Hoyas. 

The blowout allowed Head Coach Edwin Thompson to empty his bench, with 23 different Hoyas seeing action. Of note, first-year catcher Braxton Templin earned his first collegiate plate appearance.

First-year left-handed pitcher Marcello Mastroianni got the ball in the second game. In his prior start against FDU, Mastroianni pitched 5 innings of one-run ball, ultimately picking up his first collegiate win.

He was masterful again against Cornell, recording 3.1 innings before allowing a hit, the only one he would give up across 5 scoreless innings. He walked 1 and struck out 5, winning his second consecutive start and earning a selection to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll.

The Georgetown offense wasted no time jumping on Cornell’s pitching. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for graduate outfielder Derek Smith, who walked to plate the Hoyas’ first run. In the next at-bat, graduate outfielder Kavi Caster stepped into the box and hit what looked like a lazy fly ball to right field. However, powerful gusts carried the ball over the fence, adding a grand slam to the lead. Thanks to Caster’s first home run of the season, Georgetown went into the second inning with a 5-0 advantage.

Both sides went quiet until the fourth, when the Hoyas put up another crooked number. 

Senior outfielder Jake Hyde doubled in Hollerbach, prompting Cornell to remove their starter, William Jaun. After walking the bases loaded, Ficca greeted Big Red reliever Ethan Hamill with a single. Smith then cleared the bases with a triple, giving the Hoyas a 10-0 lead. Next, Hollerbach grounded one to third, appearing to mark the end of the inning. However, Cornell’s third baseman’s throw sailed over the outstretched glove of the first baseman, allowing 2 more runs to score. After the fourth, the Hoyas had extended their lead to 12-0.

The fifth inning spelled more trouble for Cornell. Hyde led off with a single. Another single put two men on for Ficca, who unloaded on a fastball, sending a laser over the right field wall. His second three-run home run of the day and fourth homer of the season gave the Hoyas a 15-0 advantage. Georgetown scratched 2 more runs across the plate before the end of the inning, further extending the lead to 17.

Graduate right-handed pitcher Cody Jensen worked a clean top half of the sixth before the Hoya offense struck once more. Thompson emptied the bench again, allowing for several atypical contributors. Junior outfielder Jaden Sheffield singled with the bases loaded to score Georgetown’s 18th run. Graduate utility player Marco Castillo, pinch-hitting for Hollerbach, singled home Bauer and Gilio, making it an even 20 for Georgetown.

Sunday marked the first time in program history that Georgetown had scored at least 20 runs in consecutive contests. 

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Kai Leckszas picked up the last 3 innings, not allowing any runs while striking out 2. He recorded his second save of the season and has not allowed an earned run over his last 6 innings. Georgetown’s 20-0 victory in game two marked the first shutout of the season for the Hoyas.

Perhaps this performance came as a result of the Hoyas’ heartbreaking loss on March 5 to the No. 1 Wake Forest Demon Deacons. In what was a winnable game thanks to a strong start from senior lefty Everett Catlett, the Hoyas tallied 8 errors, letting the game slip away and ultimately losing 11-9. 

Thompson recognized this truth in a postgame press release. 

“What a great day for our team,” Thompson told Georgetown Athletics. “To come back after Tuesday’s game, and not playing a couple days, to do what we did was great.”

Following a perfect week on the road with wins against George Washington and the University of Delaware, Georgetown will return to Capital One Park to take on the University of Albany in a three-game series from March 15 to 17.