Baseball’s bus ride down to Jacksonville, Florida this weekend was not just to watch one of college’s best offenses.
Last year, North Florida scored the fifth-most runs in the country, behind juggernauts like Miami and Vanderbilt, but, this year, GW got in on the run-scoring too, plating 16 runs in the three games against the Ospreys.
They also struck out a total of 25 times, an uncommon occurrence for a team that normally prides itself on quality at bats.
So what did a four-run lead in the rubber match of the season-opening series mean? It meant it wasn’t safe, even with GW with a must-win mentality, coming off a year where they won the most games in program history since 1998.
First, the Colonials fell behind 3-1. Then, in the third inning, GW plated five runs, including a 2-RBI double by junior shortstop Kevin Mahala, who had himself a breakout game with four hits, four RBI, two doubles and one home run.
And then the sixth inning came around.
“And then we just imploded,” head coach Gregg Ritchie said. “The bullpen imploded a little bit – a lot-a bit.”
First senior starting pitcher Jacob Williams – who was cruising to that point – gave up a leadoff home run on a 1-2 pitch. Then a double to center on a 2-2 pitch. With Williams unable to put away the North Florida batters, senior Randy Dalrymple came in in relief. Two batters later he gave up another home run. Senior Luke Olson would come in in the inning, recording the final two outs but not before allowing a double to left center and an RBI bunt single down the third base line – giving the Ospreys the lead for good to clinch the series.
“I truly believe we are as good of a team,” Ritchie said. “It’s just a matter of getting some more experience. That’s what we’re doing this for. We want to be on another level and we want to play a schedule that means something rather than just getting this many wins.”
This year is the challenge year for the Colonials. The year of gut-checks. The year of finishing.
“There was absolutely zero psyching out,” Ritchie said. “We got out there, we got off the bus, we practiced there. It wasn’t a deer in the headlight look by anybody.”
And GW won the first game of the series, 7-6 on a gritty performance by last year’s regular season saves leader, junior Eddie Muhl. Muhl gave up a run, and then loaded the bases after a wild pitch and intentional walk. Muhl then struck out the next batter and forced a ground out to end the game.
In the second game, the Colonials faced off in an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel. Sophomore Robbie Metz had allowed two hits until the sixth inning, where he was rung for two runs.
“That game we got beat,” Ritchie said. “We got beat. Legit.”
GW also faced a former high school prospect, drafted but signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013, in 6-foot-6 junior Bryan Baker. He gave up two hits in six innings in his start.
The final game of the series GW came in with a must-win mentality, and Ritchie said they showed the type of fight that was only consistent come the end of last year.
“I don’t think there was anybody patting themselves on the back,” Ritchie said. “There’s a lot guys that knew, felt we let it slip away. We should’ve had it we’re better. I love the fact that there’s that belief, that there’s that attitude.”
GW will have a quick turnaround from their bus trip back home from North Florida Sunday night. They will play their home opener against Delaware State on Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Tuck, where freshman Justin Friedman is expected to get the start.
Recap
Game 1, 7-6 GW
GW won the series opener in dramatic fashion – closing out the game up against one of the nation’s top hitting teams last year. After yielding a run, a wild pitch and then an intentional walk to load the bases, Muhl struck out the next batter and forced the next to ground out to short to end the game and clinch a season-opening victory for the Colonials.
North Florida went up 4-0 in the second, but GW came back in the third with five runs of its own, capped by a two-run homer by junior Bobby Campbell, his first of his career.
Despite giving up four runs in the second, senior Bobby LeWarne would hang in there to go seven innings, allowing five runs on eight hits, one walk and five strikeouts.
Game 2, 2-0 North Florida
Metz pitched what Ritchie called the best start of the weekend by his guys. He went 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on four hits.
The two runs were deciding factor in the game, coming in the sixth inning after a leadoff double, a sacrifice bunt, an RBI ground-rule double and then a single down the line off of sophomore reliever Tyler Swiggart.
GW’s best opportunity came in the second, when the team boarded two runners with two outs, only to be struck out by Baker, the former draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Game 3, 10-7 North Florida
The Colonials led 7-3 going into the sixth inning before the game unravelled from them. Williams was cruising to that point, but then gave up a leadoff home run followed by a double. Dalrymple and Olson couldn’t plug the hole either, resulting in a five-run, seven-hit sixth inning.
Mahala had his breakout game of the series. He went 4-5, with two doubles, one home run and four RBI.
GW experimented with three different players in the two-hole in the lineup in the series, Metz and sophomores Matt Cosentino and Mark Osis. The latter two also split duties in left field along with junior Eric Ramsey. Both left field and the designated hitter spot are still up for grabs.
