The GW baseball team completed a three-game sweep over Dayton with an 8-6 victory Monday. The Colonials have now won four in a row and five out of their last six games.
Trailing 6-4 in the top of the ninth inning, GW mounted a four-run rally. With two outs and runners on second and third, junior Anthony Raglani (2-for-5) singled to right field, knocking in the two tying runs.
Junior Ryan Roberson followed by smacking a double into the gap that scored Raglani and gave the Colonials a 7-6 lead. Junior Brad Rosenblat’s single scored Roberson for an insurance run.
Freshman closer Derek Lutz came in during the bottom of the ninth and picked up his sixth save of the season, which put him in second place in the Atlantic 10 in that category.
“He’s got great stuff,” sophomore Tom Shanley said. “In the beginning of the season he was adjusting, and he didn’t know where he was going to pitch. I think if he throws strikes he can get a lot of people out because he has great pitches.”
Freshman starter Anthony Smith was less productive than Lutz on the mound. In seven and two-thirds innings, Smith allowed six runs on seven hits. He ended the day with a no decision, but his ERA jumped to 4.91.
Smith was relieved by junior Avi Rasowsky, who came on to finish the eighth inning. The lefty, who faced just one batter, picked up the victory, moving his record to 4-1.
Five Colonials drove in runs Monday. Roberson went 4-for-5 with one RBI, and junior Joe Michalski went 0-for-3 but drove in two runs.
The Colonials were slated to play Tuesday night against Maryland-Baltimore County but the game was moved to Thursday night at 7 p.m. because of a scheduling conflict.
The Colonials (28-14, 12-3 A-10) are leading the A-10 West with three more conference series left on the schedule. They travel to Philadelphia this weekend to square off against last-place La Salle (18-18-2, 4-11 A-10) in a three-game set. GW will also play West division rivals Xavier (12-28, 4-8 A-10) at home and will travel to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne (12-19, 5-7 A-10) on the last weekend of the regular season.
Players said they want to keep the pressure on second-place Richmond (21-16, 9-3 A-10). If GW can win the regular-season title, it will earn a first-round bye in the A-10 Tournament.
“Right now winning every game is the most important thing,” Shanley said. “If we get the first-round bye, then we will have our No. 1 starter against their No. 2. It will give us a big advantage.”
