ARLINGTON, Va., March 9 – Just one day after a 19-16 win in a marathon game against Oakland, the GW baseball team could not keep the momentum going the next day, dropping a double-header to the Golden Grizzlies, 10-4 and 7-0.
GW found itself behind early in the first game of the double-header, as freshman pitcher Eric Cantrell gave up five runs in the first inning and three more in the second, allowing Oakland to jump out to an early 8-0 lead. By the end of the second inning, three Golden Grizzlies had already collected multiple hits.
It was the Colonials (6-5) who were successful at bat in the third inning, as junior Chris Marsicano singled to bring home two runs. Senior Charlie Kruer followed up with a two-run homerun to left-center field. But that was the end of GW’s offense.
Oakland was not finished, through, as GW pitcher Tommy Gately, a freshman, loaded the bases with three players who would eventually come home, one on a throwing error.
Things only got worse for the Colonials, as the Golden Grizzlies once again scored in the first inning en route to the shut out. This time around, GW could not match any runs.
The two games were likely disappointing for the squad, considering it had managed to make it out of Saturday’s slugfest with a win. Oakland had also been winless coming into Sunday’s matchups.
“We’ve been inconsistent all year,” Neary said. “With no pitching and no defense, we have a long way to go before we can play in the Atlantic 10.”
The GW pitchers struggled to establish any dominance early in the games. They allowed a combined 13 runs in the first innings of the three-game series, putting pressure on the offense to produce runs early.
“This has been happening a lot. It’s hard to have to play catch-up every game,” head coach Steve Mrowka said.
The Colonials have six games left to get ready for the A-10 season, which starts against Saint Joseph’s on March 21. GW will also face the Hawks on March 22 at Nationals Park in the first game ever played in the brand-new stadium.
The Colonials next face James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va., on Wednesday.
