Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Baseball | GU Drops 2 of 3 Weekend Games to Brown at Home

FILE PHOTO: MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA Sophomore center fielder Beau Hall drove in two runs in Georgetown’s 8-7 loss to Brown in the rubber game of a three-game series. The Hoyas and Bears split the first two games of the series.
FILE PHOTO: MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
Sophomore center fielder Beau Hall drove in two runs in Georgetown’s 8-7 loss to Brown in the rubber game of a three-game series. The Hoyas and Bears split the first two games of the series.

Entering this past weekend’s play, Brown’s baseball team (3-11) had won only one of its previous 11 games. However, in a testament to the unpredictable nature of the sport, Georgetown’s baseball team (8-10), which had been on an upswing, lost two out of three home games to its slumping Ivy League opponent this past weekend.

Georgetown’s first two games against Brown came in a doubleheader on Saturday. The Hoyas won the first game in a dominant 12-0 result before dropping the second 4-1.

Despite a late four-run rally to tie the third and final game in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Hoyas gave up a run in the top of the 10th to render their comeback for naught and close out the weekend on Sunday.

In game one, the Hoyas recorded their first shutout of the season while scoring 12 runs on 14 hits. Senior first baseman AC Carter hit a grand slam while sophomore right fielder Joseph Bialkowski, freshman second baseman and shortstop Chase Bushor each drove in two runs. Senior left-handed pitcher Matt Hollenbeck threw six shutout innings to pick up his first win of the season.

The Blue and Gray hit an offensive skid in game two, recording only six hits and ending their five-game winning streak with a 4-1 loss. Junior designated hitter Nick Collins led the Hoyas with three of those hits.

“I thought we tried to do too much offensively and we got a little bit out of our strike zone,” Head Coach Pete Wilk said.

Junior right-handed pitcher Matt Smith gave up four runs, three of them earned, in five innings while striking out four. Sophomore right-hander Simon Mathews pitched four strong innings of relief with seven strikeouts, allowing just one hit. Mathews now leads the Big East with 14 strikeouts on the season.

The final game on Sunday was particularly frustrating for the Hoyas. Freshman right-hander Kevin Superko got the starting nod, pitching 4 and 1/3 innings and allowing three runs, only one earned, on eight hits.

Junior right-hander Tim Davis came on in relief to throw three innings of one-run ball. Bushor led the team with three RBI in addition to his two hits.

“He’s a competitor,” Wilk said of Bushor. “He’s got a great future ahead of him and it’s very fun to watch him play the game.”

Sophomore center fielder Beau Hall drove in two runs. Sophomore third baseman Jake Kuzbel, catcher Nick Collins and Carter also recorded two hits apiece.

Brown started the scoring by recording one run in each the third and fourth innings, but the Hoyas quickly scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead.

However, the Bears answered in the fifth with one unearned run to tie the game before taking the lead with three more runs in the sixth inning. Brown added a solo home run in the eighth for insurance.

Just as the game seemed over with Georgetown down 7-3 in the bottom of the ninth, the Blue and Gray rallied back. Kuzbel and Collins hit consecutive singles to start the rally. With one out, Bialkowski then reached base on an error, loading the bases. During the next at-bat, Kuzbel scored on a passed ball to cut the deficit to 7-4.

With two outs, junior pinch hitter Webber walked to reload the bases; Hall was then hit by a pitch, forcing in another run for the Hoyas.

Bushor, with the bases loaded and two outs, hit the first pitch he saw for a two-run single that tied
the game at seven.

Bushor did not have any reservations when asked about his late-game efforts.

“Situations like that is why I play the game, why it’s so much fun,” Bushor said.

When free baseball began, Brown put a base runner on with a one-out walk. After Wilk made a pitching change, senior reliever Will Brown gave up a double to the first batter he saw, bringing home what proved to be the game-winning run for the Bears.

“We showed a lot of resilience. We fought back hard and that’s all we can really ask for,” Bushor said.
The Hoyas could not put together another rally, eventually falling by a final score of 8-7 in 10 innings of play.

“I’m proud of them,” Wilk said. “The game’s never over with this group and that’s a very good thing. It tells you something about the character of [the guys].”

Georgetown will play next at No. 7 Virginia on Tuesday at 4 p.m. and then will travel to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore for a matchup on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

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