A day after the GW baseball team got its first win of the season in thrilling fashion against Georgetown, the Colonials were defeated in a tough road battle against Old Dominion.

GW (1-4) looked like they were going to begin a winning streak Wednesday in Norfolk, Va. when they took a 5-4 lead into the ninth inning. But the Colonials did not go to junior closer Avi Rasowsky, instead letting freshman reliever Derrick Lutz stay in the game for his third inning.

Lutz retired the lead-off man for Old Dominion (4-3) but then surrendered back-to-back hits, which were followed by two passed balls. The second passed ball allowed the tying run to score and moved the winning run to second.

After a ground out and intentional walk left men at the corners with two outs, ODU sophomore Dana Arrowood lined a single to left for the game-winning RBI.

“It hurt a lot. We thought we had them but we just let it slip out of our hands,” sophomore Matt Owens said. “They put a few men on a base and I could feel it slipping away.”

Sophomore Josh Wilkie started for GW and pitched six innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits. He had three strikeouts and no walks before being relieved by Lutz, who lost his second game of the year.

On Tuesday in Arlington, Va., GW was able to come back and defeat Georgetown after trailing 6-1 in the fifth inning. The Colonials were down mainly because of sloppiness in the field, making four errors that led to three unearned runs.

But GW chipped away at the Hoyas’ lead on a rainy day at Barcroft Park, scoring once in the fourth, twice in both the sixth and seventh innings and then getting the go-ahead run on a single in the bottom of eighth by senior catcher Jeff Fertitta.

Freshman designated hitter Bill Simpson also led the rally, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. His two-run blast in the seventh inning tied the score at six.

Sophomore Dan Pfau started for GW and pitched four innings, giving up five runs on five hits, although only two runs were earned. Junior Nick Koken relieved Pfau and pitched four innings, giving up one run on four hits to earn his first win of the year. Rasowsky pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save of the year.

Last year, GW started the season 4-1, but this year’s early season struggles can be partly attributed to poor defense, as the Colonials have made 12 errors in their first five games, compared to seven by their opponents. GW has also had five passed balls, including the two fatal ones against Old Dominion.

“Right now we are making too many little mistakes and we are not good enough to make up for them,” head coach Tom Walter said. “It’s part of the ins and outs of baseball when you have players who are only between 18 and 20. We have shown brilliance at times and we just need to get into the flow of the season.”

Walter also cited several unspecified injuries that have caused him to shake up his defense.

“When we get the right nine guys out on the field, it will be a lot better. Injuries have been a big part but we have also made a ton of mental errors,” Walter said. “We could have been credited with so many more errors so it’s something we are working on.”

The Colonials will now travel to San Antonio, Texas to face off against the University of Texas-San Antonio (4-3) in a three-game series this weekend.