The Georgetown Hoyas baseball team (6-14, Big East) split a four game set with Princeton (3-8 Ivy League) this weekend at Shirley Povich Field, dropping the first two matchups but taking the latter two. Sophomore third baseman Eddie McCabe and sophomore catcher Ryan P. Davis each racked up five RBIs for GU, while junior left-hander Brent Killam had the top pitching performance, striking out 11 on Saturday. For the Tigers, sophomore shortstop Jake Boone and junior right-fielder David Harding each drove in five runs.
On Friday, Princeton jumped out to an early lead, and the Hoyas’ comeback efforts weren’t enough. Junior right-hander Jerry Burke started for the Hoyas, and was tagged for two runs in the first inning and three in the third. Boone hit a three-run homer in the third, giving the Tigers a 5-0 lead. The Hoyas slowly scratched their way back, scoring two runs each in the fifth and sixth innings, with McCabe and freshman right fielder Michael Willis driving in two each. In the sixth, junior first baseman Will Salomon hit a shot over the left field wall for the first homer of his career, and pulled Georgetown within 6-5. Princeton scored one in the eighth, but senior second baseman Ryan Weisenberg got the run back with an opposite-field solo blast in the bottom half. Princeton pulled away in the ninth, however, scoring three runs against sophomore left-hander Owen Lamon to make it 10-6. Burke rebounded to complete a strong seven innings on four earned runs, but took the loss to fall to 1-4.
The squads played a double header on Saturday, with the first game lasting just seven innings. The Tigers controlled the first game start to finish, taking a 5-0 victory. Junior right-hander Nick Morreale was the starter for Georgetown, but was not able to replicate Burke’s long outing. Morreale went just three innings, struggling with control. The Minnesota native walked seven Tigers and threw a wild pitch. On the other side, fellow junior right-hander James Proctor stymied the Hoya bats in a complete game victory. Proctor turned in seven innings, striking out 10 Hoyas and allowing just three hits.
In the second game of the double header, the Georgetown offense woke up for a 9-6 win. Killam started this game, and finished 6.2 innings while surrendering just two earned runs. The Preseason All-Big East selection allowed a first inning run, but his offense picked him up over the next few innings. Thanks to two RBI singles from junior first baseman Freddy Achecar III and a two-run single by freshman catcher Tony Barreca, Georgetown had taken a 6-1 lead by the end of the third. The two squads traded blows for the rest of the game, but the Tigers never tied it up. Sophomore left-hander Jacob Grzebinski was huge out of the bullpen, providing 2.1 innings following Killam’s departure to earn his second save of the year. Graduate student left fielder Kyle Ruedisili finished three for four with a double and two runs.
The final game looked to be a pitcher’s duel for the better part of the game until Georgetown erupted late. Ruedisili began the scoring in the bottom of the third, launching his team-leading fourth home run of the season over the right field wall. The Tigers took the lead in the fourth, however, on a two-run single by junior first baseman Ramzi Haddad. Haddad would be the final batter of the day for freshman right-hander Carter Bosch, who finished with 3.2 innings and fanned four Tigers. Entering the bottom of the seventh, Princeton held a 4-2 advantage, but Georgetown had a rude welcoming in store for junior right-hander Joseph Flynn. With one swing, Ryan P. Davis gave Georgetown the lead with a three-run homer, the first of his season, into the left field bleachers, but the Hoyas weren’t done there. Achecar III, junior center fielder Ryan M. Davis, and McCabe each had RBIs before Ryan P. Davis came up again, this time punching a two-run single through the right side. By the time the dust settled on an eight-run inning, the Hoyas were ahead 10-4. Princeton clawed back two runs in the ninth, but it was too little, too late.
Georgetown will try to keep it’s offense going on Tuesday for a midweek matchup at George Mason (9-8, Atlantic-10). The Patriots are coming off a weekend series against Monmouth (5-11, MAAC) during which they dropped two of three. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 3:00 p.m. ET. For continuing coverage of Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
