3/16/2002
BETHESDA, MD - A complete game performance by Eric Sutton (Sr., Deerfield Beach, FL/Deerfield Beach) in the opener of a double-header against Seton Hall helped lead Georgetown to an 8-4 victory. And despite 13 runs on 14 hits in the latter half of the double-header GU fell 13-14 losing on a ninth inning rally by the Pirates.
Sutton (3-3) allowed three earned runs and struck out six tossing a complete game in the opener picking up an 8-4 victory. The Hoyas trailed early though when Seton Hall's leftfielder Casey Grimm hit a two-run opposite field homerun over the left field wall in the first inning. Georgetown trimmed the deficit to 2-1 with a run in the third. Bill Quinn (Fr., Alta Loma, CA/Alta Loma) reached on an error and Matt Johnson (Fr., Bellevue, WA/Newport) knocked him in two batters later with a single to left field. GU followed that run with three more in the fourth chasing Pirates' starter Isaac Pavlik (0-3) from the game. Carlos Gazitua (So., Miami, Fla./Monsignor Pace) walked to start the rally and scored following two wild pitches and a balk. Michael Lombardi (So., Brookhaven, NY/St. Anthony's) singled and advanced to third on an error by the second baseman off of a grounder by Matt Carullo (Jr., Oakton, VA/Paul VI). Quinn singled the second run of the inning in and James Supple (Fr., Summit, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) drove a sacrifice fly to left for the third run. The Hoyas extended their lead to 8-2 with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Singles by Tony Lee (Jr., Bromall, PA/Malvern Prep), Mike Green (Sr., McLean, VA/Landon School), Gazitua, and Lombardi all contributed to the four runs while Carullo added a sacrifice fly to center. The Pirates picked up two more in the seventh but Sutton got the final two outs and the win.
The second game was a wild one with the two teams combining for 32 hits, 27 runs, five errors, while leaving 18 runners on the bags. Gazitua led the G-men batting 3-for-4 with four runs and four RBIs. Carullo also collected three hits and four RBIs for the Hoyas and scored twice. Lee, Lombardi, Quinn, and Johnson added two hits apiece. Seton Hall again got off to the early lead with two runs in the first on a Todd Crawford two-run homerun but Georgetown bounced back quickly with six in the bottom half of the inning. Gazitua sparked the six-run explosion doubling with the bases loaded driving in three and then coming around on a Quinn double to right-center field. Supple added a sacrifice fly and Johnson knocked in the sixth and final run of the inning with a single to left. Doubles by Ron Cano, Gazitua, and Carullo in the bottom of the second gave the Hoyas an 8-2 advantage. The Pirates would not give up though and equaled those two runs in the top of the third on Casey Grimm's second two-run homerun of the day. With two outs in the fourth Georgetown again got clutch RBI hits from Carullo and Quinn to take a 10-4 lead. The Pirates added five runs over the next two innings cutting the deficit down to one. The Hoyas, on another double - this time by Lombardi, took an 11-9 lead going into the seventh (the only scoreless inning of the game). Three runs in the top of the eight for the Pirates put the Hoyas down one, the first time they trailed in the game. The deficit proved to small as Georgetown's second baseman Carullo belted a two-run homerun to right center and gave GU a one-run lead again. The Hoyas staff though, having used five pitchers, ran thin and the Pirates were able to get two more runs in the top of the ninth securing the 14-13 victory. Hoyas' closer Tony Pina (Sr., Middleboro, MA/Middleboro) (0-1) suffered the loss. Mike Santmyer (1-1) earned the win for the Pirates.
The split brings the Hoyas overall record to 6-16 (1-1 BIG EAST). Seton Hall now stands at 5-11 and 1-1 in the conference. Georgetown battles the Pirates again tomorrow in the rubber match between the two. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m. EST.
