3/21/2004
BIG EAST Standings - Box Score
BETHESDA
, Md. ? Behind strong pitching and consistent offense, the Georgetown baseball team took the final game of a three-game series against Seton Hall, 7-3, on a blustery Sunday afternoon at Shirley Povich Field.
With the win, the Hoyas (15-11) won their opening BIG EAST Conference series two games to one, and in just their first 26 games, surpassed their win total from all of last season. The two conference victories also ties Georgetown?s win total in that category from two years ago.
Seton Hall (3-13) once again received a standout offensive performance from right fielder Matt Cuttruff, who followed his 3-for-5, five RBI game yesterday by going 2-for-4 with a solo homerun Sunday. However the Pirates were only able to muster three runs in their final game of the series against effective Georgetown pitching.
The Hoya staff struck out 11 on the day, and surrendered just seven hits and three base-on-balls. Starter Erick Chandler (Somerset, N.J./ Rutgers Prep) went six innings, and Eduardo Pena (Miami, Fla./ Michael Krop) and Thomas Braun (Kingwood, Texas/ Kingwood) worked three scoreless innings of relief.
Pena bounced back from a difficult outing against Maryland last week with three strikeouts and no walks in two innings pitched. Closer Thomas Braun fanned two and retired the Pirates in order in the ninth.
Georgetown got on the board first offensively in the bottom of the third inning, after Parker Brooks (Las Vegas, Nev./ Bishop Gorman) singled to right, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Andrew Cleary (Weston, Mass./ Belmont Hill) to centerfield.
Brooks had two stolen bases on the day, and the Hoyas tied a season-high with four stolen bases in the game.
Timmy Jones (Ledgewood, N.J./ Morristown) led off the fourth inning with a walk, stole second, and scored on a RBI single by Danny Gronski (Sammamish, Wash./ Skyline) for the first of six runs that the Hoyas scored from the fourth through fifth innings.
A walk by Drew Dargen (Edmond, Okla./ Edmond North) set up a RBI single by Billy Quinn (Alta Loma, Calif./ Alta Loma), and a fielding error, followed by an infield single by Michael Lombardi (Brookhaven Hamlet, N.Y./ St. Anthony's), scored another Hoya run.
Cuttruff?s homerun in the top of the fifth was preceded by two runs on three hits and a walk in the fourth. Seton Hall third baseman Joe Scott first reached base on a walk, and successive singles by first baseman Tim Pahuta, catcher Chris Fulda and center fielder Pat Sullivan provided the Pirate runs.
Georgetown?s three-run fifth was set up by singles by Matthew Johnson (Bothell, Wash./ Newport) and Gronski, and a hit-by-pitch by Dargen. With the bases loaded, Quinn sneaked a hard grounder down the leftfield line for a three-RBI double.
Georgetown?s bullpen took over after that, and neither team scored over the final three and a half innings.
The Hoyas next face the 5-15 Navy Midshipmen in a non-conference game this Tuesday at Shirley Povich Field. Game time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
