The Georgetown University baseball team (22-15, 4-5 Big East) fell just short on Wednesday in a 6-4 loss in what was the Hoyas’ toughest test of the season, a road tilt against the No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers (28-10, 10-8 Big East). “Really proud of our guys for their effort against a top-15 team on the road,” Heach Coach Edwin Thompson said, whose Hoyas are off to the best start in modern history for an oft-forgotten program.“Obviously, it’s not the result we set out to get but our guys battled the whole game.”
The Hoyas sent all nine batters to the plate in the top half of the first, with the first three hitters all reaching a base. An RBI double by graduate second baseman Ethan Stern broke the scoring seal as sophomore right fielder Jake Hyde rounded home. A sacrifice fly followed, putting the Hoyas up 2-0. Stern then scored on a wild pitch to put the Cavaliers on the back foot before they even had a chance to hit.
Virginia, to their credit, answered right back. Georgetown lefty freshman Andrew Williams struggled with pitch control, walking three of the first four batters. Williams was pulled after just one-third of an inning in favor of senior righty Carter Bosch. A one-out single put two across for the Cavaliers, and Williams walked in a run with the bases loaded to tie up the contest before a ground-out double play ended the inning at 3-3.
A sacrifice fly by freshman catcher Owen Carapelloti gave Georgetown a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third. This prompted Virginia to make a change to their bullpen following four earned runs in three innings. The bullpen for the Cavaliers would prove stout, as a combination of four relievers kept the Hoyas hitless for the following six innings.
After four scoreless innings, Virginia tied the game at four in the bottom of the sixth as the Cavaliers’ freshman shortstop Griff O’Ferrall drew a bases-loaded walk off of Georgetown senior lefty Jack Weeks. Pitch placement for the Hoya pitching staff was a problem all day, as they threw out eight pitchers in eight innings and combined for nine walks.
Two innings later, the Wahoos took their first lead in the game in what ended up being a decisive eighth inning. With the bases loaded, the Hoyas were able to get a ground out to stop the runner on third from scoring, but an errant throw to second allowed junior designated hitter Max Cotier to score from second. A single from sophomore catcher Kyle Teel brought across another run to bring the game to its final score of 6-4. The two runs gave senior righty Anthony Redfern (1-1) his first loss of the season. Freshman righty Jay Woolfolk (2-0) got the decision for the Cavaliers, striking out five of the six batters he faced. Graduate closer Paul Kosanovich (1) was credited with the save after a 1-2-3 ninth inning sent the Hoyas back to Washington with a loss.
Despite the result, the Hoyas took the Cavaliers, a squad that made it to the College World Series last year, to the wire on the road. For Georgetown, the focus now turns to the Big East season. A 4-5 start has put the Hoyas in a joint fourth place at the halfway mark. The top four finishers in the Big East regular-season standings qualify for the conference tournament in Mason, Ohio next month. The winner of the Big East Tournament will receive an automatic birth to the NCAA Tournament, an achievement that Georgetown’s oldest athletics team has never achieved.
Up next, the Hoyas take on the Seton Hall Pirates (10-26, 2-4 Big East) in a must-win series this weekend. The series will begin at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie, Maryland. For continued coverage of the baseball team and all Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
