When Georgetown played host to Mount St. Mary’s on March 21, the Hoyas looked fresh, enthused by the first signs of spring weather and brimming with optimism for the start of conference play. The Hoyas downed the Mountaineers 3-1 in their final non-conference tune up before entering the Big East fray. Since that day in March, the trajectory of the two teams has been vastly disparate, and it showed Wednesday night as a streaking Mount St. ary’s team (22-16) snuck one by a reeling Georgetown (14-27, 3-12 Big East) club at Shirley Povich Field, 11-10.
Since their first meeting, the Hoyas have been dismantled daily by a tough conference slate and have sunk to the bottom of the Big East, while the Mount has won 10 of its last 11 and sits atop the Northeast Conference standings.
Wednesday night’s match in Bethesda was a see-saw affair that saw the Hoyas twice fall behind by three runs and twice nearly claw their way back. Junior catcher Matt Iannetta broke out of his uncharacteristic slump, going 3-for-4 on the day and belting a two-run jack in the ninth that almost proved the difference, but senior second baseman Matt Trusch’s three hits spurred the ountaineers to their fifth-straight win.
Freshman lefty Alex Meyer surrendered three runs in the first, but senior shortstop Matt Bouchard’s single and Iannetta’s two run double helped the Hoyas answer in the bottom half of the inning. The back-and-forth nature of the opening frame proved to be the main theme of a game that saw the lead switch hands numerous times.
In the fifth inning, facing a 9-5 deficit, Georgetown sophomore designated hitter Sean Baumann drove a pitch from freshman right hander Costa Kapothanasis over the left-field fence, scoring Iannetta and sophomore right fielder Kelly Muir.
Junior Daniel Kennedy came on in the ninth and gave up a pair of RBI hits to Mount seniors Mike Gioioso and Justus Yocum. Iannetta’s homer in the bottom of the ninth may have cleared the outfield fence, but the Hoyas fell one-run short after Baumann flied out to end the game.
There will be no rest for Iannetta and his weary teammates as the squad hits the road for a three-game series at Connecticut for another weekend of conference play. Georgetown has not won a Big East game since a 6-1 victory over Notre Dame on April 14, and the Hoyas have been swept three out of the last four weekends.
The Huskies have also struggled in conference play, tied with lowly Seton Hall for second to last in the Big East. The Connecticut pitching staff’s 5.03 combined ERA is the conference’s worst, and the Huskies rank in the bottom half of every offensive category statistically. Senior shortstop Dennis Donovan, who has 27 RBIs and a .329 batting average, is Connecticut’s most consistent offensive threat, and freshman left-fielder Peter Fatse has stolen six bases on the year. Reigning Big East coach of the year Jim Penders led the Huskies to a school record 39 wins in 2006 after a distinguished career on the diamond as a Husky undergrad.
Iannetta, who before his Wednesday breakout had been having a frustrating year at the plate, has now raised his on base percentage to .373 and is showing the type of power that had Head Coach Pete Wilk excited after the 6-foot, 195 pound Iannetta decided to transfer from North Carolina. After his two-run blast on Wednesday, Baumann now leads the team with five dingers, and speedy senior lead off hitter Mark McLauglin is currently third in the conference with 23 stolen bases.
Junior southpaw Michael Gaggioli, likely to take the mound on Saturday, boasts a 2.70 ERA and Sunday starter Jimmy Saris is tied for second in the conference with 66 strikeouts.
Georgetown’s offense has finally awakened and at the plate the Connecticut team they are set to face resembles a group of Huskies that have just straggled exhaustedly across the Iditarod finish line. If there has ever been a time for Wilk’s team to bail out their sinking ship, it is Friday’s 3 p.m. first pitch in Storrs, Conn.
