GW Baseball Splits Doubleheader with VCU

Saturday, April 30

ARLINGTON, VA

12:00 PM

George Washington University

20-24, 0

VCU

29-15, 0

VCU

George Washington

4/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 30, 2016

Box Score

WASHINGTON - George Washington and VCU played a doubleheader on Saturday at Tucker Field that featured two extra-inning games, 23 total innings and a combined eight hours of baseball with each team earning a win.

GW (20-25, 9-6 A-10) rallied for a 4-3, 10-inning win in game one before VCU (30-15, 12-6 A-10) took the nightcap and clinched the series, 8-7, in 13 innings.

GW walked off with the victory in game one after rallying from a 2-0 deficit.

The Rams had built the 2-0 advantage after plating single runs in the first and third innings off of GW starter Shane Sweeney, who got a no decision after allowing the pair of runs on two hits with two walks and a strikeout in two innings.

Senior Jacob Williams entered in relief to start the third inning and proceeded to shutdown VCU's lineup over 6.1 innings. He yielded just one run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

The Colonials found the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh when junior Kevin Mahala hit a one-out double and then scored on a two-out RBI double by sophomore Brandon Chapman.

NCAA saves leader Sam Donko attempted to close out the game in the ninth but the Colonials rallied to force extra innings after junior Cody Bryant's RBI single. The hit scored pinch runner Larry McCabe, who entered the game after junior Bobby Campbell reached on a fielder's choice.

VCU regained a brief one-run lead after scoring on a RBI single in the top half of the 10th but the Colonials answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half to steal the win.

Junior Joey Bartosic led off the frame with a base hit and moved to third on a single by sophomore Mark Osis.

Osis stole second to put two in scoring position for Mahala, who hit a two-run single up the middle to score both runners and clinch the 4-3, come-from-behind victory.

VCU raced out to 6-0 lead to open the second game by scoring two runs in the first, third and fourth innings.

The Colonials started yet another rally by scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a RBI single by Campbell and a run-scoring groundout from Bryant.

The comeback continued in the bottom of the fifth when junior Andrew Selby led off with a double and scored on a RBI single by Bartosic to make the score 6-3. Later in the inning, Osis cut the deficit to two with a RBI single.

VCU got an insurance run in the top half of the seventh on a RBI double, but the Colonials refused to back down and scored three times in the bottom half to pull even at 7-7.

The game-tying sequence commenced with a leadoff double by Metz, who was then brought home on Bartosic's RBI single. A fielder's choice plus a throwing error put runners on first and second with no outs before Osis laid down a sacrifice to advance each runner 90 feet. Campbell followed with a nine-pitch walk to load the bases ahead of Mahala, who laced a two-run double down the left field line to tie the game at 7-7.

Junior Eddie Muhl was brilliant in relief for the Colonials. Normally a closer, who owns both GW and Atlantic 10 records for saves, he threw 6.1 innings of relief on 94 pitches. VCU's winning run came across on a throwing error in the top half of the 13th inning, lifting the Rams to the series-clinching win with an 8-7 decision.

Muhl threw a combined seven innings across the two games, yielding just one unearned runs on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Mahala finished 5-for-10 at the plate across the twin bill with a pair of doubles and four RBIs. Bartosic was 5-for-12 with three runs, two RBIs and a pair of stolen bases.

GW will return to action when it visits Fordham for a three-game set next weekend in Bronx, New York.