This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Brennan Murray.
When one player dominates a game from both the pitcher’s mound and the batter’s box, the recognition typically gravitates towards him.
For senior Tyler McCarthy and the Colonials (15-26, 7-8 A-10) on Wednesday night, the storyline was no different.
McCarthy hurled eight strong innings from the hill, allowing four runs and fanning four UMBC batters. Then from the plate, he knocked in three, almost single-handedly making up for the blemishes he allowed on the other side.
But there was another factor that helped GW’s non-conference ousting of UMBC. Senior Justin Albright and junior Owen Beightol extended their hitting streaks to seven and nine games, respectively.
If Beightol’s three RBIs paved the way for a Colonials victory, then Albright’s hot streak, during which he has gone 19-31 for a scalding .631 average, indicates that GW’s bats have awoken, and at a crucial time.
The Colonials are sitting in the middle of the pack in the A-10, a spot that will likely advance them to the conference tournament barring a fast downfall. With only three more A-10 series left in the season, the Colonials have a chance to buy themselves a more favorable tournament seeding if they continue to put runs together.
Only two Colonials in the starting lineup failed to reach base on Wednesday. GW established a lead early and built on it often. With two in the first, third, and fourth innings, the Colonials headed into the bottom of the fourth with a commanding 6-0 lead.
Though McCarthy yielded a pair in the home half of the inning, GW poured on the offense again in the sixth and ninth innings. After coming into a tough spot in the bottom of the ninth, junior Craig LeJeune eventually shut the door on the Retrievers.
On the scoreboard, the Colonials’ offensive success showed: 12-5 GW.
Head coach Gregg Ritchie declined to offer a phone interview on his team’s win.
On Saturday, the Colonials will host non-conference foe James Madison for a doubleheader at Barcroft Park.
