April 29, 2007

Box Score

Washington, D.C. - The Georgetown University baseball team (16-28, 5-13 BE) rallied for four runs in the top of the ninth inning to erase a one-run deficit en route to a stunning, 5-2, victory over the Connecticut (21-23, 6-12 BE) on Sunday afternoon in the final game of a three-game BIG EAST series from J.O. Christian Field. The win provided the Hoyas with their second BIG EAST series win of the season.

Connecticut held a 2-1 lead entering the ninth inning as senior Joseph Graziano (Floral Park, N.Y./Chaminade) drew a walk to open the inning. He was then lifted from the game for a pinch-runner, freshman Derek DiGuglielmo (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry). On the following play, the Hoyas put runners on the corners with nobody out as UConn first baseman Matt Untiet was unable to cleanly field sophomore Kelly Muir's (South Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) sacrifice bunt attempt. Georgetown would then tie the game when DiGuglielmo was awarded home after a balk by Husky reliever Matt Karl.

Senior Brandon Davis (Poway, Calif./The Bishop's School) would then walk and Muir would steal third to once again put runners on the corners with no one out. Sophomore Greg Pustizzi (Medford, N.J./Bishop Eustace Prep) would then lay down a suicide squeeze bunt to score Muir and give the Hoyas their first lead of the game, 3-2. Georgetown would tack on two more runs with RBI singles off the bats of freshman Joe Silvestri (Floral Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) and senior Mark McLaughlin (Walnut Creek, Calif./De La Salle) to account for the final score.

Sophomore starter Jimmy Saris (Great Falls, Va./Langley) lasted seven innings, and provided the Hoyas with their third quality pitching performance of the weekend. Despite leaving the game and taking a no decision, Saris kept the team close by allowing only two runs on five hits while striking out four

Freshman Jack Bender (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) and senior Mark Dutmers (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview) combined to pitch a scoreless eighth for GU. Dutmers would also receive credit for the win, evening his record on the season at 2-2. Junior Daniel Kennedy (West Orange, N.J./Regis) picked up his eighth save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.

Trailing 1-0 in the fifth, Silvestri walked with one out already in the inning. Freshman Tom Elliott (Blue Bell, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) would follow him with a single to left that sent Silvestri around to third. The next batter was McLaughlin and he came through with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Silvestri and tied the game.

The Hoyas return home this week when they take on Coppin State, Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. from Shirley Povich Field. The Hoyas sit only two games out of the eighth and final BIG EAST postseason spot with nine conference games remaining.