The Georgetown baseball team (19-24, 2-13 Big East) continued a disappointing stretch by dropping their fourth straight game, losing 11-3 to George Mason on Tuesday. An impressive long-relief outing from Bobby Kirby proved to be in vain, as the team was unable to rally back from an early five-run deficit.
The Hoyas found themselves in a hole from the start, as starter James Heine gave up five hits and three walks en route to five George Mason runs.
“He fell behind and didn’t have command of his breaking ball, and they hit fastballs,” head coach Pete Wilk said. “If you pretty much key in on fastballs, normally those guys are going to barrel it up.”
Wilk summoned Kirby to replace Heine in the second inning, and the sophomore capitalized on the opportunity. Utilizing a newly developed sidearm delivery, he pitched five impressive innings, giving up just two earned runs.
“For him to make that adjustment in the course of a week, and throw it in a game with confidence and locate it, was very impressive,” Wilk said.
The team looked like it might mount a comeback in the fifth inning, as a fielder’s choice by sophomore centerfielder Justin Leeson and a double from sophomore second baseman Andy Lentz knocked in two runs, cutting the deficit to three. But Georgetown’s pitching woes proved to be too much, and six more runs from George Mason put the game out of reach.
After the game, the team was disappointed with the loss, but had a quick turnaround as they headed home to face Navy the following night.
“I think Navy is an incredibly big game for us,” Wilk said. “I can’t wait for tomorrow, I think we’re going to be a much better team.”
Proving their coach’s words to be prophetic, the Hoyas ripped into the Midshipmen on Wednesday, pouring it on for a 17-2 win. Seven different players had multi-hit days, but junior starting pitcher Tommy Isaacs set the tone for the Hoyas, fanning four and walking none in three sparkling innings. Backed by Isaacs, the offense jumped off to an early start and never looked back.
Sophomore right fielder Paul Bello singled in two runs in the second to get the team on the board, and came around to score, giving Georgetown a 3-0 lead. The fourth inning, however, proved to be the decisive one, as the team plated five runs to make the score 10-0. A walk and a stolen base from Leeson set the table early, and four more hits put the game away.
Though Georgetown would score seven more runs in the seventh and eighth innings, a stellar day from the pitching staff made all the extra runs unnecessary. Freshman Alex Baker threw two innings of hitless ball to relieve Isaacs, and a committee of four relievers each threw an inning to close the game out.
This weekend, the Hoyas head to Louisville for a three-game series starting Friday night.
