The Georgetown University baseball team hit the road on a blisteringly hot Tuesday afternoon to take on the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Retrievers in the second game of their midweek home-and-home season series. The Hoyas lost their last game 12-7 to the Retrievers but were able to even the series on the back of strong outings from the pitching staff and a 6-run fifth inning, securing a 9-3 win.
Georgetown (20-17, 2-4 Big East) took down UMBC (16-15, 5-4 Athletic East) 9-3 on April 14 at Alumni Field in Baltimore.
First-year right-handed pitcher Charlie Hendrix got the midweek start for Georgetown, his third straight in the role he has begun to settle into. Over his previous two outings against James Madison University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Hendrix combined for 9.0 innings, allowing 6 runs while striking out 6 and providing the Hoyas with length and reliability in the midweek spot.
Right-hander Bennett Speicher started for UMBC opposite Hendrix, entering with a 6.86 ERA across 19.2 innings on the season, posting a mix of strong outings and uneven results.
Both pitchers settled in early, working a quick first inning on both sides. Only one baserunner reached, for UMBC, on a Hendrix walk.
The second followed a similar script, as neither team generated sustained pressure. For the Hoyas, senior first baseman Jeremy Sheffield singled to right and stole second, but was left stranded as the next three batters were retired.
Hendrix recorded 2 quick outs on back-to-back flyouts before allowing a single and a hit-by-pitch to put 2 on. He responded by striking out second baseman Joe Lomangino, looking to end the inning.
Georgetown broke through in the third to open the scoring. Sophomore catcher Dom Cafferillo reached on a single and advanced into scoring position on a throwing error before senior right-fielder Jordan Kahn dropped down a bunt single to move him to third. Graduate second baseman AJ Solomon brought him home with an RBI groundout, giving the Hoyas a 1-0 lead.
UMBC immediately responded in the bottom half. After 2 quick outs, designated hitter Danny Wyatt doubled to spark the inning, and right fielder Danny Orr followed by launching a two-run homer to center to flip the score and give the Retrievers a 2-1 advantage.
Both sides went quietly in the fourth. Georgetown was retired in order. In the home half, after a leadoff out, the Hoyas turned to junior right-hander Jack Volo out of the bullpen, who worked a clean inning to keep the deficit at 1.
After a slow start for both sides, Georgetown broke the game open at the top of the fifth.
Sophomore outfielder Dylan Larkins led things off with a single before junior third baseman Braxton Templin moved him over with a sacrifice bunt. A wild pitch pushed Larkins to third, setting up Cafferillo, who dropped down a bunt single to bring him home and tie the game at 2.
Another wild pitch moved Cafferillo into scoring position, Kahn reached on catcher’s interference, opening the door for more damage, and Solomon got the job done with an RBI single down the left field line to give Georgetown its first lead of the afternoon.
The Hoyas continued to apply pressure. Solomon advanced to second before senior left-fielder Travis Ilitch lifted a sacrifice fly to center, bringing home another run. Graduate shortstop Connor Peek then worked a walk, prompting another pitching change, as Georgetown kept rolling.
Sheffield lined an RBI single to left, and after swiping second, sophomore designated hitter Ashton Seymore delivered the biggest swing of the inning, driving in 2 on a single, making the score 7-2.
By the time the inning came to a close, Georgetown had turned a 1-run deficit into a 5-run lead, sending 11 hitters to the plate and forcing UMBC to cycle through multiple arms in a frame that never quite slowed down.
UMBC got a runner aboard with a single in the bottom half, but senior right-hander Andrew Citron recorded a strikeout and a flyout to end the inning and keep Georgetown’s lead at 5.
Georgetown added on in the sixth with a pair of extra-base hits. After a Cafferillo strikeout, Kahn doubled and Solomon drove him in with a triple to right center. After an Ilitch strikeout, Peek doubled home Solomon, extending the Hoyas’ lead to 9-2.
UMBC scratched across its third run in the seventh, cutting the deficit with a triple down the line and an RBI single, but the offense ended there. The Hoyas’ bullpen combined to firmly control the game over the final innings, with only one more Retriever reaching base.
Junior right-hander Camron Poe handled the ninth for Georgetown, closing the door without any trouble to secure the 9-3 victory.
Georgetown Head Coach Edwin Thompson said his pitching staff was strong all evening.
“It started as a good back-and-forth game, and Charlie Hendrix gave us a great start. When Jack Volo came in and got us out of a tough spot, and then we came right back and scored six, it really took the wind out of their sails,” Thompson told Georgetown Athletics.
The Hoyas hit the road for the second weekend in a row, heading to Indianapolis to face the Butler University Bulldogs (14-22, 4-2 Big East) for a 3-game in-conference set.
