Baseball emerged with another series victory over Dayton this weekend.
The Colonials (17-15, 5-1 A-10) split the first two games with the Flyers (12-15, 2-4 A-10) before taking home the final game to wrap up the series Sunday afternoon. GW has been on a roll offensively, scoring in the first inning in six out of the last seven games.
Game One:
The Colonials steamrolled the Flyers 9–1 in the series opener to win their fourth straight conference victory.
After holding the Flyers scoreless in the opening frame, the Colonials roared to life in the bottom of the frame thanks to a series of wild pitches.
Senior outfielder Cade Fergus singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch followed by walks from senior infielder Noah Levin and senior catcher Anthony Frechette to set up a bases loaded situation. After redshirt senior infielder Derek Ripp struck out, another wild pitch brought Fergus home.
Junior outfielder Logan Leax singled to usher Levin home and another wild pitch allowed Frechette to score before graduate student outfielder Mike Ludowig grounded out to close out the inning.
The Colonials were airtight on pitching all day, not allowing the Flyers to score a single run until the ninth inning. Redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Harrison Cohen conceded just five hits over eight innings while tying his career high in strikeouts with 11.
After quieting down offensively in the next two innings, GW capitalized on Dayton’s pitching struggles in the later innings, starting in the fourth.
Leax tripled to open the frame and redshirt sophomore infielder Joe Bianconce reached first on an error by the Flyer third baseman to bring Leax home.
In the fifth, Levin smashed a solo homer to center while Frechette and Ripp followed it up with a double and a single respectively. Leax grounded out to notch an RBI to send Frechette home.
The Colonials scored three more runs in the seventh and eighth innings combined to close out an efficient afternoon. GW accumulated 11 hits in total, while Levin and Frechette both finished 3-for-4 at bat with two runs apiece.
Game Two:
The Flyers bounced back against the Colonials Saturday afternoon, snapping GW’s nine-game win streak at home with a 5–3 win.
Junior right-handed pitcher Connor Harris achieved a career-high 11 strikeouts before being replaced late in the seventh inning.
Fergus opened the scoring in the third inning with a two-run homer and followed it up with a solo homer in the fifth to give GW an early 3–0 lead.
Despite the hot start, the Colonials could not hold on late.
The Flyers returned fire in the seventh inning, scoring three runs to tie the game up. Harris conceded a pair of doubles and singles before being substituted for senior right-handed pitcher Chris Knight.
Dayton seized the lead in the next inning after junior infielder Ben Jones hit a double to send two runners home. Despite holding the Flyers scoreless in the ninth, the Colonials could not muster a comeback and suffered their first defeat in conference play as a result.
Game Three:
GW clinched the series victory with a 9–4 victory over Dayton Sunday afternoon.
The Colonials jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the first inning, but the Flyers would not go down easy.
Dayton knotted it up in the fourth after junior outfielder Jose Martinez doubled to ship one runner home before scoring himself on a passed ball. In the fifth, the Flyers took the lead on a sacrifice fly before the Colonials drew the score level once more in the bottom of the frame off a single by Leax to send junior utility player Steve DiTomaso home.
GW then exploded in the sixth, racking up four scores. Biancone kicked off the scoring run with a solo homer before Levin doubled to deliver freshman utility player Matthew McCowan to home plate.
Frechette cracked another homer, scoring both Levin and DiTomaso before the Flyers managed to wrap up the inning on a Biancone strikeout.
Dayton added a run in the eighth before the Colonials responded in kind on another Leax double to score Frechette.
Frechette ended the day going 4-for-5 at bat with three runs scored and four RBIs.
The Colonials will remain at home for a quick nonconference matchup against William and Mary at 3 p.m. Tuesday before hitting the road to take on Saint Joseph’s for another three-game series beginning Friday at 3 p.m.
