The Lady Hoyas had a disappointing home opener against James Madison yesterday afternoon, dropping both games of their doubleheader, 7-1 and 8-0. Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia had the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the very first game at Guy Mason Field, the new home of Georgetown softball.
“Being able to have our games at Guy Mason will be a tremendous resource,” Coach Pat Conlan said after the games. “Having such a key location will help us gain fan support as well.”
DeGioia’s presence was not enough to motivate the team, playing in its second season as a full varsity squad. James Madison pitcher Jenny Clohan only allowed one run off of four hits, while Hoya freshman Jennifer Connell gave up seven runs on nine hits in the first leg.
Georgetown’s sole run of the day came in the bottom of the fifth inning when Connell hit a single to bring in freshman Olivia Newhouse from third base. James Madison had already scored all of their seven runs at that point—five in the fourth inning and two in the fifth.
“JMU had a tremendous offensive day,” Conlan said. “It seemed no matter what pitch we threw them they were able to make great contact.”
Freshman Sarah Kamenski pitched the second game for the Hoyas. Kamenski allowed eight runs off of nine hits and faced 22 batters. James Madison’s starting pitcher Meredith Felts allowed only three hits, shutting out the Lady Hoyas.
James Madison took control immediately with a homerun on the first at-bat by shortstop Katie George. Four more runs in the second inning put the game out of reach. Georgetown failed to bring in any runs in the bottom of the fifth, and the game ended 8-0 with a five-inning decision.
“Our team goals are to be better than we were the day before,” Conlan said.
Georgetown (1-4) will host the Hoya Invitational this weekend.
