3/19/2002

Bethesda, MD - Georgetown, despite collecting 21 hits and 12 runs in the double-header, came up short in both games due to the combination of poor pitching and timely hitting by the Lions. Eight of the nine Hoya pitchers all gave up at least one earned run while combining to allow 19 runs on 26 hits and walking eight. With the losses, the Hoyas dropped to 6-19, while the Lions improved to 4-8.

Game One
Georgetown fell behind early in Game One as Columbia opened the top of the first with three runs off of catcher Joe Catsam?s three-run homer to right field. The Hoyas bounced back immediately with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Mike Green led off with a walk and advanced to third on Ron Cano?s double to center field. Carlos Gazitua followed with a double to right-center trimming the Lions lead to 3-2 as both Green and Cano scored.

Starting pitcher Tom O?Connor settled into his game getting a 1-2-3 second inning and then facing only four batters in the third. It wasn?t until the fourth that the Lions would strike again with a run and increase their lead to 4-2. GU again trimmed the lead down to one in the fifth off of two hits. With Matt Carullo on second (double down the right field line), Gazitua came through again with a single knocking in Carullo, his third RBI of the game.

Three runs in the sixth for Columbia, and a 3-7 deficit, proved too much for Georgetown, as they were unable to score again. Gazitua finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI?s while Carullo and James Supple each collected two hits for the Hoyas. Freshman relief pitcher Michael Halloran hurled a scoreless seventh and struck out one. O?Connor (0-2) suffered the loss for the Hoyas. Adam Schwartz (1-1) tossed a complete game for the Lions in earning the victory.

Game Two
Eight different players posted hits for the Hoyas totaling 13 in the game for nine runs but the Lions were able to get key plays at crucial times to ensure their victory and Georgetown?s fourth consecutive loss. Georgetown struck first with a run in the bottom half of the second. GU loaded the bases with no one out collecting consecutive hits by Bill Quinn, Supple, and Phil Pierorazio. Matt Johnson followed with another single driving in Quinn and keeping the bags full. The Lions starting pitcher Terrence Vogenberger then made three big plays to end the possible Hoya outburst. He got the next two batters to strike out and then picked off Supple on third base. Georgetown collected four hits in the inning but came out with just a 1-0 lead.

That momentum carried into the next inning for Columbia as they gathered two runs on one hit and an error to take a 2-1 lead. The lead was short lived as the Hoyas battled right back with another run in the bottom of the third. Cano did all the work himself getting to first on a single, stealing second base, advancing to third on an error by the catcher, and then earning his way home on a balk by the pitcher to tie the game at 2-2.

Then three errors helped contribute to a four-run fourth by the Lions giving them a 6-2 lead. Another two runs in the fifth by Columbia gave them a six run advantage but Georgetown continued to battle. In the bottom of the fifth the Hoyas tallied three runs on three hits. Green and Cano led off with singles and crossed home plate when Gazitua drove a ball through the left side for a triple, his fourth and fifth RBI?s of the day. Gazitua then scored on another balk by the Lions pitchers bringing the deficit to a mere three runs at 5-8.

Columbia would add four more runs though, three in the sixth and one in the eighth to put the game seemingly out of reach. Georgetown, in a never say die mode, prolonged the game and tallied another four runs in the eighth. Johnson knocked in the first on a single to right and Michael Lombardi, pinch-hitting with runners on first and second and two outs, homered picking up three RBI?s. The rally ended two batters later.

Georgetown was unable to add any more runs as the Lions Brendan Quinn struck out the side in the ninth. Starting pitcher Patrick Harrigan (2-1) suffered the loss while Terrance Vogenberger (1-0) earned the win for the Lions.

The Hoyas (1-2 in the BIG EAST) resume their conference play this weekend with a three-game set verse West Virginia at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda, MD. First pitch for the double-header on Saturday (3/23) is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Start time on Sunday (3/24) is also noon EST.