The Georgetown softball team went 2-2 in its season-opening weekend, winning games against Indiana State (2-2, 0-0 MVC) and South Dakota (1-3, 0-0 Summit League) and losing to the University of Missouri at Kansas City (2-2, 0-0 WAC) and Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (2-2, 0-0 Summit League).
Playing in the Music City Classic in Nashville, Tenn., the Hoyas faced Indiana State behind the strong arm of senior Megan Hyson, who pitched a 12-strikeout complete game. The Hoyas were tied 2-2 heading into the 7th inning, when a six-run frame blasted the game open.
Hyson was quick to deflect credit, though, saying of her teammates play that, “Everyone in our lineup hit this weekend, especially when we had runners in the scoring position. I have confidence that if the person up to bat does not get the job done, the others behind her will.”
Hyson’s faith in her teammates was well founded in the following day’s game against South Dakota, but she herself contributed greatly to the team’s success again. Up 4-0 in the bottom of the 6th, Hyson hit a grand slam to give the Hoyas an 8-0 lead, triggering the 8-run-rule surrender when South Dakota failed to score in the bottom of the half of the inning.
The South Dakota game, which ended an 8-0 shutout, was pitched by Lauren O’Leary, who called the game a “great win.” O’Leary pitched 4.1 innings of two-hit, shutout baseball against South Dakota.
In the second game of that day’s doubleheader, however, things began to go downhill, when the Hoyas lost despite scoring 8 runs for the third consecutive game. Giving up a seven-run 3rd inning to take the lead 9-4, the Hoyas would go on to lose to UMKC 11-8.
“UMKC put the ball in play and took advantage of quite a few errors and the inexperience of our freshman pitcher,” Head Coach Pat Conlan said after the game.
The last game of the weekend was a 5-3 lost to IUPUI. With Hyson pitching once more, the Hoyas put up three in the bottom frame of the 1st, only to surrender three of their own in the top of the second. The Jaguars then scored twice more on the Hoyas in the 3rd inning, seizing a 5-3 lead that they would not relinquish. The Hoyas failed to recover, bringing them to an even 2-2 over the weekend.
The Hoyas ended the weekend having outscored their opponents 27-18. Hyson and sophomore Alessandra Gargicevich-Almeida in particular had very good weekends, with the latter hitting two of the Hoyas’ three home runs.
The Hoyas will spend this upcoming weekend in Wilmington, N.C., where they’ll play in the UNC Wilmington Invitational. Of the five games, two will be against the hosts of UNC-Wilmington, another two will be against Saint Joseph’s, and the opener will be against UMBC.
The Hoyas play no home games until March 17 against Princeton, which will kick off a nine-game homestand.
