After a difficult start to the season, the Georgetown baseball team (6-8, 0-0 Big East) posted a 5-2 record at the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. The Hoyas’ talent shined brightly in the Sunshine State with pairs of wins over Northwestern (4-13, 0-0 Big Ten) and Lehigh (3-10, 0-0 Patriot League), as well as a split against Western Michigan (7-9, 0-0 MAC) and close loss to Illinois State (8-9, 0-0 MVC).
The Hoyas dropped their first game of the tournament 2-1 to Iowa State. Despite the loss, lefthander Matt Hollenbeck surrendered only one hit and one unearned run in the start.
The following day, Georgetown came right back for two wins over Northwestern, by scores of 7-1 and 8-6. The first win of the day was also the 30th career victory for Head Coach, Pete Wilk. The majority of the offense in the doubleheader was provided by infielder Jake Kuzbel, who went 6 for 9 that day. Matt Smith and Will Brown each picked up wins, and David Ellingson notched his first save of the year.
In the blue and gray’s next context, they dropped a tough 4-1 loss to Western Michigan despite strong work from relievers Tim Davis, Jimmy Swad, and David Ellingson. The defeat was quickly forgotten, however, after a heart-pounding 10-9 comeback victory over Lehigh. After a rain delay in the 8th, Ellingson came in the top of the 9th with two runners on and nobody out in a tie game and got out of the inning without surrendering a run. Curtiss Pomeroy delivered the decisive blow with a two-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th.
After an off day, the Hoyas returned to the field to avenge one of their previous losses in a rematch with Western Michigan. The difference in the Hoyas’ 12-8 victory was Jake Kuzbel’s grand slam. In the final game of the tournament, Matt Smith put together another impressive start en route to a 2-1 victory over Lehigh.
During the tournament, catcher Nick Collins was added to the watch list, and Matt Smith received Big East Pitcher of the Week honors. The Hoyas next have a three-game series against Brown (1-10, 0-0 Ivy League) The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, which begins at 12 p.m., and then they will close out the series with a third game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
