After scoring 27 runs in their previous two games, Georgetown’s baseball team was held in check by St. John’s this past weekend, getting swept in a three game series at home. The trio of losses dropped the Hoyas’ record to .500 (17-17 overall) for the first time since March 6, and pushed the team down near the bottom of the Big East, with a 3-7 record in conference play.
“St. John’s came in as advertised,” head coach Pete Wilk said. “They have outstanding pitching, including a couple of guys who will go in the first two rounds of the draft, and a solid team overall.”
After busting out for 16 runs on 16 hits against Coppin State and 11 runs on 11 hits against Mount St. Mary’s, the Hoyas were only able to manage a meager six runs on 13 hits in the entire series. The scores of 13-2, 5-2 and 8-2 extended St. John’s winning streak to a season-high 10 games and helped them secure their position atop the conference standings, with a 7-1 record.
In the opener, the Hoyas struck first with two runs in the second, as senior Andrew Cleary blasted his second home run of the season, bringing in junior Ryan Craft and giving Georgetown a 2-0 lead. Following Cleary’s shot, junior Timmy Jones singled to right field and senior Jim Supple doubled into the left center field gap, but both were left stranded, and the Hoyas would manage only one more hit in the entire game.
The Red Storm tied it up in the third on two unearned runs, when junior outfielder Ken Devenney scored on a throwing error off a bunt by Jim Martin and sophomore Sam DeLuca, who reached on an error by third baseman Danny Gronski, crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly to deep center off the bat of junior Greg Thomason.
St. John’s scored three more in the fourth and never looked back, banging out 11 hits en route to the 13-2 rout. Starter senior Billy Quinn was credited with the loss after being chased off the mound in only 3.2 innings. Quinn’s outing was not aided by Georgetown’s shaky defense, which committed four errors, as he only gave up two earned runs. Chris Joachim and Eddie Schultz went yard for the Red Storm and Anthony Varvaro was credited with the win and upped his record to 5-2 on the year.
In game two, Georgetown again took an early lead on a solo homer off Quinn’s bat in the fourth, but was unable to hold on. St. John’s tied it in the sixth, scoring a run on one hit after two were gone in the inning. Joachim singled to left, advanced to third, and eventually scored on an error by shortstop Matt Johnson.
St. John’s scored the go-ahead run in the eighth, ousting starter Mike Gaggioli at the same time, when Blake Hershelman scored off a sacrifice fly by junior Will Vogl to put the Red Storm up 3-2. Two more insurance runs were added in the ninth and Gaggioli was credited with the loss despite pitching seven and two-thirds solid innings and giving up only one earned run. Three Georgetown errors allowed the other four runs to score and eventually came back to haunt the Hoyas.
In the third game of the set, St. John’s scored early, getting two in the first and never relinquishing the lead. The Red Storm added three more runs in the fifth, scoring three runs on three hits, highlighted by a three-run shot over the right field fence off the bat of Greg Thomason. Georgetown attempted to mount a late rally in the ninth, but after Craft was hit by a pitch and scored on a double by Jones, Supple grounded out to first and Joachim flipped the ball the Craig Hansen, securing the game and the sweep.
Throughout the series, senior leadoff man Jim Martin, who garnered Big East Player of the Week honors for his efforts, set up St. John’s offense for success. Martin was 9-13 (.692) against the Hoyas with three doubles, three RBI and three runs scored, including a 4-4 showing in game one of the series.
“We were competitive, but just didn’t get it done,” Wilk said of the series. “We’re looking to get back on the winning track and build some momentum going up to Seton Hall.”
The Hoyas try and bounce back with two games against the Big East cellar-dweller Pirates in New Jersey this weekend.
