After enduring weeks of practices amid record-breaking snowfall in D.C., the Georgetown baseball team finally got a chance to play on green grass under clear skies last weekend when they traveled to North Carolina for their season opening series against Davidson.
“We were running around like little leaguers out there at Friday’s practice,” head coach Pete Wilk said.
The Hoyas definitely enjoyed playing in the nice weather as evidenced by their performance over the weekend, winning two out of the three-game series.
The Hoyas began the three-game series strong with a 6-2 victory at Wilson Field on Friday night. The score remained close until the Hoyas scored four runs in the seventh inning.
Courtesy Sports Information
Georgetown was led by strong pitching as senior Tim Adleman gave up one run on five hits in a little over six innings of play to start the season. He also accounted for six strikeouts while walking two batters. Sophomore right-hander Bobby Kirby entered the game in the seventh inning, allowing a run before striking out the final batter to close the inning. Junior pitcher Pablo Vinent finished off the Wildcats in the final two innings, allowing only one hit and striking out one batter.
A pair of juniors led Georgetown’s offensive attack in the first game. Catcher Erick Fernandez and third baseman Sean Lamont each drove in three runs in the game. In the fifth inning, Fernandez delivered a two-run single to left field that took the lead and set the tone for the remainder of the game.
On Saturday afternoon, the Hoyas built off their first victory to win the second game of the series. They were able to pull away in the ninth inning, scoring four runs to win the game 11-8.
Senior shortstop Tom Elliot had four hits in the game. Senior left fielder Billy Cupelo had three RBIs, and senior second baseman Chip Malt hit a big two-run single that helped the Hoyas come out on top.
Unproven freshman Neal Dennison pitched 1.1 innings of shutout relief to earn the win, allowing only two hits and striking out two batters. Junior Jared Cohen earned the save in the ninth and retired four batters.
“We got a really good pitching performance out of freshman Neal Dennison,” coach Pete Wilk said. “You never know what you’re going to get with a freshman. He went out there with poise. His whole attitude made him look like a junior or a senior. He did a tremendous job getting the win in game two.”
The final game of the series proved to be a different story for the Hoyas, losing to the Wildcats 11-3.
Davidson was able to mount nine runs in the fifth inning, as the Hoyas were plagued by five errors while giving up five hits. Junior left-handed pitcher Tommy Isaacs started the game, but he exited in the fifth inning after he put the first two runners on base. Junior Cary Piligian came in to throw two thirds of an inning and was charged with six unearned runs.
“On the mound we were constantly getting behind hitters,” Wilk said. “And when you get behind hitters, they have more confidence and can be more aggressive. Defensively, it’s also hard to play high-quality defense when you’re out there for long innings.”
Despite the minor setback in the final game of the series at Davidson, the Hoyas performed well overall.
They take on New York Tech this weekend at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia.
