Georgetown baseball fell 7-5 in the finale of a three-game set against Central Connecticut State on Sunday, March 11, in Bethesda, Maryland. The Hoyas out hit the Blue Devils 13-10 but couldn't capitilize as they stranded 11 runners. Junior Mike Green (McLean, Va./Landon School) and senior Jim Vankoski (Aston, Pa./Strath Haven) combined to bat 7-9 with two RBIs and four runs scored leading the offense while the pitching staff limited the Blue Devils to one run over the final six innings.
GU fell behind early as starting pitcher Tom O'Connor (Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle) gave up five runs on three hits including a two-run homerun in the top of the fifth. O'Connor forced two ground outs and a pop fly in the third but after a lead off double by CCSU in the fourth was relieved by junior P.J. Martinez (Washington, D.C./Landon School). The Blue Devils were able to put two up in the fourth, but were held hitless over the next three innings as Martinez held them without a run while striking out one and walking one. Centerfielder/pitcher Jim Vankoski (Aston, Pa/Strath Haven) kept Central Connecticut scoreless in the final two innings enabling Georgetown to mount a comeback.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, and trailing 7-0, GU got back to back hits by Mike Green and Jim Vankoski trimming the lead down to six. Vankoski stole second and was knocked in by tri-captain Eric Santana's (Santurce, P.R./Edgewood) single bringing the deficit to 7-2 at the end of the inning. The Hoyas continue to inch their way closer in the seventh narrowing the lead down to 7-4. With one out, back-to-back singles by Green and Vankoski drove CCSU's starting pitcher from the game. Santana greeted the reliever with another single scoring Green and advancing Vankoski to third. Sophomore Robert O'Hare (San Jose, Calif./Mission College) followed with a pinch-hit single driving in Vankoski. Sophomore Jason Boice (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) earned a walk to load the bases. The Blue Devils were able to get out of the jam with an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. The Hoyas produced another two-out rally in the eighth when both Ron Cano (El Segundo, Calif./El Segundo) and Tony Lee (Bromall, Pa./Malvern Prep) walked, and then advanced to second and third on a passed ball. Vankoski singled to right field and GU attempted to score Lee from second to cut the lead to one. The play at the plate was close but the score would remain 7-5 as the inning ended.
The loss dropped Georgetown to 3-10 on the season and 2-4 at home. The Hoyas host Cleveland State at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda, Md. GU begins their BIGEAST conference play on Saturday and Sunday, March 17-18, when they host Pittsburgh in a three-game set.
