Baseball picked up its second-straight win Wednesday afternoon when the Colonials downed Maryland Eastern Shore 8–3 at Tucker Field.
The Colonials (3–5) found the hit column a season-high 13 times and stole six bases in their win against the Hawks (0–5).
“We have the ability to do everything we want to do,” senior outfielder Mark Osis said. “I think it’s just a matter of bringing it every day and doing things right every day but definitely still working on bringing in consistent energy.”
Osis ended the game 3-for-5 from the plate with one run and one run batted in.
A shaky start by freshman pitcher Jacob Meyer in the first inning led to bases loaded with two outs after he walked Maryland Eastern Shore’s senior catcher Jessey Valdez. A wild pitch then sent Hawks redshirt senior outfielder Tyler Friis over the plate to give them a 1–0 lead in the top of the first inning.
But their advantage was short lived. Sophomore infielder Nate Fassnacht hit a two-run home run on a 3–2 pitch with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. He gave the Colonials a 3–1 advantage that they never relinquished after.
[gwh_image id=”1050403″ credit=”Olivia Anderson | Photo Editor” align=”none” size=”embedded-img”]Sophomore shortstop Nate Fassnacht tips his helmet after hitting a home run during a Wednesday game against Maryland Eastern Shore.[/gwh_image]
Heading into the second inning, head coach Gregg Ritchie ordered a pitching change from Meyer to sophomore pitcher Jaret Edwards.
“Certain guys force you to take them out,” Ritchie said.
The switch proved beneficial for the home team as the Hawks failed to score in three out of four innings pitched by Edwards.
During that stretch, the Colonials took advantage of their offensive strengths and went with a small ball approach at the plate. A number of players selected to bunt to advance runners around the diamond.
GW increased its lead by four and finished the fifth inning 6–2.
The Colonials base-running was strong against the Hawks, with senior third baseman Isaiah Pasteur leading GW with three stolen bags.
“We did a nice job on guys that were really quick to the plate,” Ritchie said. “When you understand the counts and the pitcher’s repertoire, there will be opportunities to play and having your head up and understanding when that could be, the guys did a good job in taking advantage of that.”
In the sixth inning, senior pitcher Kevin Hodgson took over the mound for Edwards as pitcher and threw for one inning before freshman Harrison Cohen was handed the ball in the middle of the seventh inning.
“Cohen comes on and does a really nice job, attacks the zone and just gets after it,” Ritchie said.
Despite the win, Ritchie said the team wasted too many at-bats in the effort and he will look for his players to be patient at the plate.
The Colonials return to action Friday against Monmouth, hosting their first home series of the season. First pitch is slated for 2:30 p.m.
