SALISBURY, Maryland – Opportunities were there for the Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team as the Hawks hosted Georgetown University on Wednesday (March 2) to win its first game of the season, but late inning gaffes would prove to once again be the downfall of the Hawks (0-8) as they fell 9-7 to the Hoyas at home.
 
Earning his first start for the Shore, freshman Caden Parker threw five innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts in a phenomenal debut.
 
"I haven't felt that good on the mound in a long time," Parker said. "I had confidence going out there, I knew the guys behind me had my back. We were swinging the bat well, it just didn't fall our way in the end."
 
Holding the lead with six early runs, the Hawks allowed four in the eighth inning, putting the hopes of a victory to bed.
 
Georgetown scored first in the top of the third but the Shore quickly earned one back following a Derrick Mayes II single and steal to be driven in by catcher Ryan Howe, who continues to be a spotlight for the Hawks.
 
Another two runs were tacked on by the Hawks in the fourth following some solid base running, quality at-bats, and a little luck catching Hoya errors.
 
"We hit the ball well," head coach Brian Hollamon said. "We executed a lot of really good things – bunts, movement on the bases – we did a lot of really good things."
 
After the tough fourth inning, the Hoyas made a pitching change and swapped out parts of the middle infield in hopes of better fielding, only for it to backfire as the Hawks were able to nab three runs. Brantley Cutler drove in two runs to tie Howe for six total RBIs on the season and then touched home himself after Riley Horner was caught in a pickle where the Hoya shortstop threw wide to first, getting Cutler home.
 
Sophomore Carter Rieben came in to relieve Parker but was on the unfortunate end of a two-run blast by Georgetown third baseman Ubaldo Lopez, tightening the early lead the Hawks had earned.
 
Blake Rebstock was able to come in the next inning and give the Shore 1.2 innings of relief with one run, making the way for shortstop Dillon Oxyer to move to the bump in a double switch, bringing in Ryan Davis to third.
 
Making just the second collegiate pitching appearance in his storied Hawk career, Oxyer was hurt by some solid at-bats by the Hoyas and a Shore error, getting tagged for four runs, three earned, before being able to complete the final out of the eighth.
 
"I probably made a mistake putting Dillon in then," Hollamon said. "I thought with two outs and nobody on would be a perfect opportunity so he could get situated and throw the ninth."
 
There wasn't any quit for the Hawks in the ninth, as Brian Cordell led off the inning with a triple to put himself in scoring position. After two quality sacrifice bunts early in the game, Riley Horner was able to put another ball in play to short to drive in Cordell but that's all the Shore could muster before two groundouts ended the fight.
 
"We gave up some crooked numbers in multiple games now, we've had opportunities to win multiple games now and we just gave up crooked numbers," Hollamon said. "We have to battle back, makes it tough."
 
It's back to work on Friday (March 4) for the Shore, making the longest road trip of the season as the team takes on Radford University in a three-game set. The first game is slated for 4 p.m. on Friday with game two at 2 p.m. on Saturday, the getaway game is scheduled for noon on Sunday.