George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
Saint Louis
Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader at Saint Louis
4/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 26, 2008
ST. LOUIS, MO - George Washington baseball won both games of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Saint Louis as the Colonials began their late-season push to qualify for the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship. GW (20-22, 8-9 A-10) took game one, 5-3, and rolled in game two, 21-5, as they won the first two games of their three-game A-10 Conference series with the Billikens (18-23, 5-12 A-10).
The series' opener, originally scheduled for Friday night, was postponed due to rain, forcing the doubleheader. The two wins marked the first time GW has won back-to-back games since they won at home against Georgetown and then Massachusetts on Apr. 2 and Apr. 4, respectively. GW has won four of its last five games on the road.
The 21 runs scored in the nightcap were the most GW has scored in a game since 2002, when they won at home over Towson, 22-6. The Colonials had 12 different players record at least one hit, and in three separate innings sent at least nine batters to plate.
Sophomore Tom Zebroski (Port Washington, NY/Paul Schreiber) went 5-for-7 with a home run, a double and five RBI. Junior Tim Reeves (Cumming, GA/North Forsyth) was 4-for-6 with a double and six RBI, while senior Andrew Abokhair (Ashburn, VA/Broad Run) hit his fourth home run of the season as he went 3-for-5 with three runs scored. The two-through-five hitters for GW went a combined 15-for-25 with two home runs, 14 RBI and eight runs scored.
GW scored in seven of the nine innings, including six in the top of the second and five in the fifth. Seemingly in spite of the fact they scored 21 runs on 28 hits, the Colonials recorded just four extra-base hits (two doubles, two home runs).
GW began the scoring in the top of the first, taking a 2-0 lead on Andrew Abokhair's two-RBI hit to left field. The Colonials had their biggest frame in the top of the second, when they plated six runs, three of which scored on Tom Zebroski's homer to left, his fifth of the season, to make it 8-0 in favor of GW.
With two more runs in the third, both coming with two outs, GW extended their lead to 10-0. Saint Louis erased the shutout with a run in the bottom of the fourth, and then GW answered with five more runs in the top of the fifth as six consecutive batters reached base with a hit. Tom Zebroski singled up the middle to drive in the first run and was followed by Tim Reeves, who doubled to left-center to drive in a pair of runs. Senior Charlie Kruer (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) hit an RBI-single through the right side to score Reeves, and then a wild pitch allowed Andrew Abokhair to touch home, making it 15-1.
With his fourth hit of the game, a single, Tim Reeves drove in two more runs in the top of the sixth inning to extend GW's lead to 16 runs, 17-1. Saint Louis scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the frame before the Colonials plated three more runs in the seventh as five of the first seven batters recorded singles. They added their 21st and final run of the game in the top of the eighth, scoring on a bases-loaded walk.
Sophomore LHP Bobby Lucas (Baltimore, MD/Calvert Hall College HS) earned his second win of the week with six innings of work, recording five strikeouts and allowing just one earned run Saturday against Saint Louis. The win improved Lucas' record to 5-0 this season.
In game one, GW took an early 1-0 lead, fell behind 2-1, then rallied with a four-run fifth inning and held on for the 5-3 victory. The Colonials scored in the top of the first inning when Tom Zebroski reached on a fielding error and then scored on a Tim Reeves base-hit through the left side.
After Saint Louis scored two in the bottom of the fourth, GW answered with four in the fifth. Back-to-back doubles from freshman Brendon Kelliher (Sandwich, MA/Sandwich) and Gavin Swanson (Reisterstown, MD/Calvert Hall College HS) to start the frame led to the first run. Sean Rockey (Sammamish, WA/Eastlake/Columbia Basin CC) and Zebroski followed with consecutive singles, giving GW the 3-2 lead and putting runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Following a sac-bunt, Andrew Abokhair (Ashburn, VA/Broad Run) singled to drive in Kelliher. Zebroski also scored on the play, taking advantage of a throwing error made by the SLU shortstop.
The Billikens added a run in the seventh, to make it 5-3, but that was as close as they would come. Saint Louis did manage to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but GW junior RHP Pat Lehman (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) stuck-out the clean-up hitter to end the threat. Lehman, the projected game-three starter, pitched the final seven innings of Saturday's game one after the original starter, freshman Eric Cantrell (Oakton, VA/Oakton), was forced to leave with an injury after being hit with a line drive. To his credit, Cantrell managed to throw the runner out at first base on the play. Lehman struck out nine and allowed just two earned runs to improve his record to 5-3.
Tim Reeves, Tom Zebroski and Brendon Kelliher all finished with two hits. GW has now won at least 20 games for the 15th consecutive year.
In the two games combined, GW hit .432 as a team with 38 hits and 26 runs scored. Tom Zebroski led the way with seven hits, including a home run and a double, with five RBI. Tim Reeves was 6-for-9 with seven RBI an on-base percentage of .700.
George Washington and Saint Louis conclude their A-10 series on Sunday, at 12:00 p.m. ET.
- GW -
