Baseball (2-4) collected two wins in their first home series of the season against Bryant (1-3) this weekend.
After getting swept by Old Dominion in a three-game series Feb. 27 in Norfolk, Virginia, to start the season, the Revs turned on the bats to score 38 runs over three games and notch the series win against Bryant.
In the 2023 season, baseball finished 21-34.
Game 1:
In their first game, the Revs fell short to the Bulldogs with a final score of 10-13.
The Revs and Bulldogs wasted no time on offense. To start the stanza, GW brought in two runs on an infield error and a sacrifice fly. Then, GW upperclassmen turned on their bats and knocked back-to-back home runs. Senior infielder Bryan Belo’s home run to left center brought in graduate student infielder McGwire Tuffy, who got on base with a single. Graduate student outfielder Ellis Schwartz also homered to left field. The first inning ended with the Revs leading 5-3.
The Revs maintained their momentum in the second inning with the help of junior outfielder Sam Gates, giving GW their third home run and a 6-3 lead against the Bulldogs.
Despite the dominance on their home turf, the Bulldogs made their comeback with a home run of their own, knotting the score 6-6. By the end of the third inning, Bryant smacked a two-run home run to give the Bulldogs a two-run lead of 6-8.
The fourth inning consisted of a scoring drought for both the Revs and Bulldogs. But during the fifth inning, Bryant scored three off two home runs and extended their lead by five runs, making the score 6-11.
The Revs rallied in the sixth and seventh innings. Graduate student utility Steve DiTomaso singled to shortstop, allowing junior catcher Tim Nicholson to score. Freshman catcher Robbie Lavey’s double to center field batted in DiTomaso and freshman infielder Nick Mullen. The Revs secured two runs in the sixth inning, and Nicholson gave a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning bumping up the Revs to 10-11.
The Bulldogs collected two runs in the eighth inning, securing the game with a 10-13 victory.
Even with their loss to start the series, Head Coach Gregg Ritchie had high hopes for the series.
“I think it was the offensive prowess that when that happened,” Ritchie said. “I think the big thing is we come back in the first inning, take a little bit of hit right away and then we come back and we take the lead.”
Game 2:
The Revs came back in game two, outbatting the Bulldogs 12-4.
Bryant got ahead in the first half of the first inning with two runs. But graduate student infielder Robby Wacker hit a sacrifice fly to the Revs, allowing DiTomaso to score.
The Revs earned two runs in the second inning, leading the Bulldogs 4-3. DiTomaso’s single up the middle gave GW a one-run advantage and notched the first of his three RBIs, giving Gates and redshirt senior infielder Brett Young the opportunity to score.
“So it’s the runs, it’s the runs, you get on and that run comes from the ability to stay very consistent with what you do, trust the process and keep pushing forward,” Ritchie said.
After a third inning with a Bryant homer and an actionless fourth inning, the fifth inning concluded with five gained Revolutionary runs from Lavey, Wacker, Schwartz, Belo and Mullen, making the score 9-4. GW took advantage of their lead and continued to build it up, clinching eight more runs throughout the game, with Bryant’s last batter crossing home plate in the third inning to secure a 12-4 victory.
Game 3:
Revs brought home their second victory of the year, coasting over the Bulldogs to a 16-3 win.
RBIs from Lavey, Wacker and Belo brought GW to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning.
The Bulldogs remained scoreless until the fourth inning. An RBI single put them into the scoring column, but the Revs responded with a three-run homer from Gates to end the inning with a 6-2 lead.
Dominant pitching and offense helped hold Bryant behind, and a seven-run seventh inning blew the game open to all but cement the game and series for GW.
With a run by the Bulldogs at the top of the ninth inning, the Revs secured another victory of 16-3.
“It’s something we talk about all the time,” Ritchie said. “It’s in the end, that’s going to take every single player and you have to be ready for your moment.”
The Buff and Blue look to continue their winning streak Tuesday against the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in Arlington, Virginia, at 2:30 p.m.
