On a wet, dreary evening at Shirley Povich Field, it looked as if the inclement weather was going to prevent Georgetown from taking the diamond against visiting Mount St. Mary’s at all.

Yet after a lengthy rain delay, the Hoyas (17-15) and the Mount (12-17) proceeded to play a nine-inning thriller late into the night, ending in an 8-7 walkoff win for the Blue and Gray.

A postponement seemed imminent early on in the evening, as rain caused the first pitch to be delayed by over an hour. Instead of staying dry in the dugouts, however, both teams made use of the holdup, as members from each squad participated in an impromptu game of baseball golf on the tarp covering the outfield. The pregame festivities were further highlighted by a tarp slide from a player.

Despite the muddled field conditions, Georgetown was able to jump out to an early lead. Over the first few innings, the Blue and Gray built a 4-0 advantage, highlighted by a towering two-run homer from junior designated hitter Erick Fernandez in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Through seven innings, the Hoyas were comfortably ahead, holding a 5-2 advantage over the Mount. Up to that point, Hoya fans who braved the elements were treated to some excellent pitching from two young freshmen – Thomas Polus and James Heine – who combined to allow only five hits over seven innings of work.

But the eighth inning was an entirely different story. The Mount took advantage of a combination of Georgetown fielding miscues and a few hit batsmen to put together a five-run inning, allowing them to seize a 7-5 lead. The wet conditions certainly did not help the Hoyas in what turned out to be a fielding nightmare – Georgetown committed five errors throughout the course of the game.

Although they suddenly found themselves trailing late in the game, the Blue and Gray did not panic. As the team has virtually made a living off late inning rallies, the Hoyas simply got back to work. Freshman third baseman Danny Poplawski, who entered the game for junior Sean Lamont in the top of the eighth, kicked off the rally with a leadoff single up the middle. After senior shortstop Tom Elliott reached on an error, sophomore catcher Kevin Johnson reached base on a bunt to load the bases with no outs.

Senior second baseman Chip Malt singled in the first run, and the tying run came in when senior centerfielder Tommy Lee reached base on a fielder’s choice. The Mount was able to retire the next two batters to limit the rally, sending the game to the ninth inning all tied up.

In the top of the ninth, junior relief pitcher Jared Cohen, who had come on in the middle of the previous inning, escaped the Mount’s scoring threat unscathed and gave the Blue and Gray a chance to steal a victory in the bottom half of the inning.

The Hoyas have rehearsed the comeback script so often this season that it was executed to perfection. After a leadoff single from junior first baseman Dan Capeless, Fernandez laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Capeless into scoring position.

It was then that the Mount’s Karl Lamont lost the strike zone. He issued two consecutive walks to load the bases for Johnson, the Hoyas’ backup catcher who has produced in limited at bats this season. Johnson became the third Hoya in a row to draw a walk and Georgetown emerged with an 8-7 come-from-behind victory.

With the rain gone, the Hoyas kept the ball rolling yesterday afternoon, cruising to a 9-5 victory over crosstown rival George Washington. Senior left fielder Billy Cupelo led the Georgetown offense with three RBIs, and Lee added three hits, two stolen bases, two runs scored and an RBI.

The outcome was never in doubt, as the Blue and Gray jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first three-and-a-half innings. Sophomore right-hander Bobby Kirby pitched just under five innings, allowing three runs on four hits to improve his record to 3-0.

The Hoyas return to action tonight, facing a formidable Connecticut squad in what should prove to be a pivotal Big East series. Despite an 18-15 overall record, the Hoyas are only 2-7 in conference play. If the Hoyas wish to climb up in the standings, they are going to need to play at a high level this weekend.

First pitch is set for 7 p.m. at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda, Md.