The GW baseball team took both games of a doubleheader against St. Joseph’s Friday before falling 15-12 Saturday in the final game of the series. The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for the Colonials, who have won 13 of their last 15 games.
Poor GW pitching and three defensive errors allowed the Hawks to score runs in bunches Saturday, as St. Joe’s (7-29, 2-7 Atlantic 10) scored five in the fourth inning and nine in the sixth to overtake the Colonials, who could not hold a 10-0 third-inning lead.
No Colonials pitcher could stop the bleeding, as freshmen Anthony Smith and Bill Simpson each gave up six runs and junior Nick Koken allowed three runs.
The loss was an eye-opener for Smith, who also finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs at the plate.
“It wakes us up a little bit,” he said. “You can’t take any team for granted. You have to win the games on the field. You can’t just expect it to happen.”
The Colonials had a strong day offensively, as four players finished with multiple hits. Junior Brad Rosenblat went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and junior Ryan Roberson went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
With the loss, the Colonials (22-11, 7-2 A-10) remain a game behind A-10 West-leading Richmond (17-12, 5-1 A-10).
“I didn’t really have my best stuff, and I did not really hit my spots,” Smith said. “We just didn’t make routine plays, and it ended up costing us.”
In the second game of Friday’s doubleheader, the Colonials needed a late-inning rally to pull out an 11-8 victory. GW trailed 8-5 after three innings but used the long ball to get back into the game. Junior Anthony Raglani’s solo homer in the fourth and Rosenblat’s two-run homer in the fifth inning tied the game at eight.
In the sixth, Roberson hit a triple to drive in two runners and scored on a throwing error, putting GW up 11-8. Freshman Derek Lutz picked up the save for GW.
Sophomore starter Josh Wilkie struggled on the day, allowing eight runs and lasting only two and two-thirds innings. In relief, Junior Avi Rasowsky pitched three scoreless innings, picking up his third win of the season.
In Game One, junior pitcher Dan Sullivan was good enough to down the Hawks 7-4. He pitched five and two-thirds innings, allowing four runs and striking out seven to pick up his fourth win of the season.
Raglani was the offensive star for the Colonials, tacking on two insurance runs with a homer in the top of the seventh. Raglani finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Lutz closed out the seventh to pick up the save.
The Colonials return to action against Coppin State University (10-23) Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at Barcroft Park.
