Despite loading the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Georgetown softball team failed to tie the game, ending the contest with two flyouts and falling to Creighton by a score of 3-2 on Sunday.

Georgetown (8-19, 1-2 Big East) Head Coach Pat Conlan voiced her confidence in her team’s ability to improve upon its performance against Creighton (11-17, 2-1 Big East) ahead of its home series against the Providence Friars (8-16, 0-3 Big East).

“We swung the bat well on Saturday and played really good defense. Sunday came down to a hit or a play and sometimes that’s the way our game goes. It’s definitely a game of inches. If we have that same kind of effort this coming weekend, we are in a good situation,” Conlan said.

Conlan also commented on the cutthroat competition within the conference, especially when it comes time to compete in the Big East and the NCAA tournaments.

“The great thing about our conference is that there is a tremendous amount of parity.

Game in and game out, every score is tight and on any given day I think anyone in our conference can beat one another,” Conlan said.

The Creighton series allowed Georgetown’s young pitching staff to gain experience as conference play picks up. Freshman pitcher Anna Brooks Pacha started in the circle for the first and third games of the series, striking out 19 between the two contests. Conlan spoke highly of her performance.

“She was throwing excellent pitches that were getting put into play where we wanted them — easy pop-ups and easy ground balls. She gave us an opportunity to win both games that she started, and that is all we can ask of any of our pitchers,” Conlan said.

Junior center fielder Theresa Kane was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll for her contributions this weekend, as she boasted a .455 batting average in the series against Creighton. Kane also is second in number of hits for the Hoyas with 26 overall, following sophomore infielder Mallory Belknap’s 40 hits.

“I am really proud of the effort that we had, and we are going to keep working hard all the way through the lineup,” Conlan said.

With their first conference series behind them and the next one imminent, the Hoyas look to make minor changes in their preparations to better take on the Friars.

Conlan reviewed scouting reports on Providence to better tailor Georgetown’s offensive approach to fit its pitching style. Conlan also took note of the types of hitters the Hoya pitchers will be facing, so the mound is familiar with the game the coaches will call.

“The core of our practice always stays the same, but we try to change those details based on the report,” Conlan said.

The Hoyas are looking to their narrow loss to the Blue Jays — what Conlan referred to as a “nail-biter coming down to the last out of the game” — and overall series loss as motivation to succeed against the Friars.

“They were heartbroken on Sunday, and I want them to be heartbroken because they played a great game. Now we have to keep playing harder, have to be a little bit stronger, have better quality at-bats, all while keeping the same focus and intensity,” Conlan said.

Conlan also emphasized how impressed she was with the Hoyas’ performance against Creighton and her enthusiasm for both the game against Providence as well as the remainder of the season.

“From freshman to senior, from our leadoff hitter to our No. 9 hitter, from our base runners to our pinch hitters, everyone just played their role really well, and I’m excited to see what the rest of the season looks like,” Conlan said.

Georgetown hosts Big East rival Providence for a three-game series at Guy Mason Field this weekend, beginning Saturday at 12 p.m.