Coming off a strong stretch of play, the Georgetown University baseball team returned to Capital One Park on March 22 to take on the Youngstown State Penguins. Led by a commanding start from graduate left-hander Spencer Seid and strong situational hitting at the plate, the Hoyas controlled the entirety of the game and secured a 6-3 win.
Seid, making his sixth start of the season, entered the afternoon with a 2.93 ERA and continued to show why he has been a strong option for Georgetown Head Coach Edwin Thompson in the rotation. However, the Penguins (3-17) struck first in the opening inning, as first baseman Nathan Beckley turned on a pitch and sent a line-drive home run to right field, giving Youngstown State an early 1-0 lead.
Georgetown (15-10) threatened in the bottom half of the inning but could not convert. Graduate shortstop Connor Peek drove a deep fly ball to the track in left center, but it was caught for an out. While senior first baseman Jeremy Sheffield worked a walk and advanced into scoring position, the Hoyas left him stranded to end the frame.
From there, Seid settled in, worked a clean second inning, and navigated traffic in the third, where he loaded the bases after a pair of walks. Seid responded with one of the biggest moments of his outing, striking out outfielder Brady Shannon to strand all three runners and keep the deficit at one.
After tying the game in the third inning on an RBI single from Sheffield, the Hoyas manufactured a run in the fourth. Graduate second baseman AJ Solomon led off with a single and advanced on a sacrifice bunt before Peek delivered a two-out RBI single to center, giving Georgetown a 2-1 lead.
Seid continued to work efficiently through the middle innings, including a quick fifth inning in which he needed just 8 pitches to retire the side. Even when Youngstown State threatened again in the sixth, Seid remained composed, keeping the Hoyas in the game. A dropped fly ball to start the inning in right-center allowed Brayden Kuriger to reach third with no outs, but Seid responded with 3 strikeouts, two of them on three pitches, to escape the inning unscathed. He punctuated the sequence with a fist pump as the Georgetown dugout erupted behind him.
The Hoyas extended their lead in the bottom of the sixth with a frame that defined their offensive approach on the day.
Solomon once again set the tone with a leadoff single, and Georgetown kept the line moving. A sacrifice bunt and a base hit from senior left fielder Travis Ilitch created a scoring opportunity before Peek drove in a run with a groundout, and Sheffield followed with an RBI single to center. The two-run inning was defined by contact and situational execution rather than extra-base power — an intentional approach stemming from runners left on base during games one and two of the series.
“After Friday night, we had left so many guys on base, I challenged them offensively to say, ‘hey, we gotta put the ball in play,’” Georgetown Head Coach Edwin Thompson told the Hoya postgame.
After Seid exited, Georgetown turned to its bullpen, which has been a strength for much of the season but had shown signs of inconsistency in recent close games.
First-year right-hander Max Whitmer entered in the seventh and recorded two quick outs, with one coming on a highlight reel leaping grab from Ilitch at the wall in left field. However, Alex Jang spoiled the inning with a two-out solo home run, cutting into the lead as the ball continued to carry in the warm weather. Whitmer limited the damage afterward, keeping Georgetown ahead and in control of the game.
The exclamation point for the Hoyas came in the bottom of the seventh, when they took full advantage of a series of defensive and pitching miscues by Youngstown State.
After working two outs, the Penguins appeared close to escaping the inning before a passed ball shifted the momentum. Solomon delivered again, driving a double into the gap to bring home a run. From there, the inning unraveled for Youngstown State. Reliever Jake Ferretti struggled to find the zone, issuing multiple walks and committing a balk before a throwing error brought in another run without a ball leaving the infield.
Georgetown continued to apply pressure, putting balls in play and forcing the Penguins to execute defensively, which they failed spectacularly to do. By the time Youngstown brought in a third pitcher in the inning, the Hoyas had added two more runs and clearly had all of the momentum in their favor.
By the top of the eighth, it was clear the bullpen had shaken off any previous rough outings and firmly limited any chance of a Penguin comeback. Sophomore right-hander Ethan Rucker delivered a clean eighth inning, getting 2 batters to strike out, which reset the tone after the earlier home run. In the bottom half, Georgetown threatened again, but a well-executed 1-6-3 double play ended the inning.
Thompson also emphasized the collective effort behind the performance.
“We don’t just have one guy; guys step up through the weekend, and I’m really proud of how we competed,” Thompson said postgame. “We’re all in on being our team, helping our team win in whatever way possible.”
With the multi-run lead heading into the ninth, Georgetown turned to senior closer Andrew Jergins for the last half frame. The Hoyas got the final 3 outs without issue, with Seid picking up the win and Jergins the save, while improving their record to 15-10 on the season.
Georgetown will be back on the diamond Friday, March 27, when they head to Greensboro, N.C., for a three-game series against North Carolina A&T (5-18).
