2/22/2004

Box Score

DAVIDSON, N.C. ? Behind strong pitching, Davidson handed the Georgetown baseball team a 4-0 defeat Sunday afternoon at Wildcat Park in Davidson, N.C. With the win, the Wildcats took two of three games from the Hoyas in the weekend series to improve to 2-1 on the season. The Hoyas fell to 1-4.

Davidson right-handed pitcher Brian Akin struck out a career-best 11 batters while limiting the Hoyas to just four hits over eight innings. Throwing 101 pitches in his first outing of the season, Akin (1-0) allowed only six batters to reach base, and only one made it as far as second base. He faced just three over the minimum in his eight innings on the mound as he induced two double plays and another runner was caught stealing.

Featuring a fastball that topped out at 90 mph and a devastating slider, Akin more than doubled his previous career best of five strikeouts, last accomplished nearly two years ago. The last Wildcat pitcher to strike out at least 10 in a game was Tim Frend with 14 whiffs at Furman on April 12, 2002.

?Brian had excellent stuff today, and his slider was virtually unhittable,? stated Davidson head coach Dick Cooke after the game.

The Wildcats got all the offense it would need in the second inning. Junior Michael Muniz led off the frame with a hustling double that fell in front of the right fielder. He scampered to third on a passed ball, and after a walk to sophomore Alex Entrekin, came home on freshman Steve Mannenbach's dribbler to first.

Hoya hurler Stephen Burns (West Chester, Pa./ Malvern Prep) was nearly as tough as Akin, allowing just the one run on four hits and three walks over six innings of work with six strikeouts. Despite the solid outing, Burns took the loss and fell to 0-2 on the season.

The 'Cats scored three insurance runs in the eighth after the first three batters singled to load the bases. After a pop-up, freshman pinch hitter Rob Wilson was hit by a pitch to force in a run, and sophomore Ronnie Shore followed with an excuse-me single to right for another run. Junior Eli Benefield drove home the final run with a single to left.

Sophomore Jay Heafner retired the side in order in the ninth to preserve the victory for Davidson.

All but two Hoyas in the starting lineup struck out, and Timmy Jones (Ledgewood, N.J./ Morristown) was the only one to reach base twice as he hit a line-drive single to center and was hit by a pitch. Michael Lombardi (Brookhaven Hamlet, N.Y./ St. Anthony's) was the only Hoya to reach second with a one-out double in the fourth.

Georgetown will be back in action on Tuesday when they face George Washington on the road at 2:30 p.m. The Hoyas? home opener is slated for the following day on Wednesday, with a 2:30 p.m. start against Mount St. Mary?s at Shirley Povich Field.