Behind strong pitching and a roster-wide sense of confidence, the Georgetown softball team (15-12, 6-0 Big East) swept Creighton this weekend in Omaha, Neb., in a three-game series. The series sweep is the second win in two weeks following a three-game run against Villanova last weekend.
“I think this team has tremendous confidence and experience,” Head Coach Pat Conlan said. “With the senior leadership we have, they know from past experience that they can handle anything that is thrown at them.”
In game one of the series, junior pitcher Lauren O’Leary pitched all seven innings and in doing so lead the team to a 5-2 win. O’Leary struck out eight while only walking two batters and giving up four hits. She also did not allow a hit in the final four innings of the game.
The Hoyas scored the first run of the game in the third inning, only to fall behind in the bottom half after a Bluejays two-run home run. But the Hoyas responded in the top of the fourth with a solo shot by junior Megan Hyson and a two-run double by sophomore third baseman Taylor Henry. Freshman infielder Alessandra Gargicevich-Almeida would add an insurance run with a solo home run, making the score 5-2, a lead they would not surrender.
The second game on Saturday started in similar fashion, with the Hoyas scoring one in the top of the second followed by the Bluejays scoring two in the bottom half on a two-run home run. They would add a third run in the bottom of the sixth.
However, down 3-1 in the top of the seventh, the Blue and Gray did fold however. After Georgetown loaded the bases, Hyson hit an RBI single to make the score 3-2. With the bases still loaded, sophomore outfielder Samantha Giovanniello hit a grand slam, giving the Hoyas a 6-2 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Megan Hyson gave up a run but struck out two, thus sealing the 6-3 win. She gave up three runs and seven hits while striking out 13 in her complete game effort.
Hyson returned to the circle Sunday and turned in an equally stellar performance. She led the Hoyas to a 6-1 win and three-game sweep of the newest addition to the Big East.
The Hoyas grabbed an early lead and never looked back. Senior second baseman Hannah Slovacek doubled in senior outfielder Elyse Graziano to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Freshman catcher Gabriela Elvina hit her first career homerun in the second to extend the lead to 2-0. Gargicevich-Almeida extended the lead in the fourth with a two-run shot, and then sophomore infielder Grace Appelbe hit her first collegiate home run and the third for the team that day to make the score 6-1 in the seventh.
Meanwhile, Hyson only allowed one run on four hits, struck out 10 and walked none. She retired the first seven batters of the game and the last eight. After 23 strikeouts this weekend, Hyson now has 106 for the season. She also leads the pitching staff with a 1.90 ERA. She ranks in the top four in the conference for both of those categories.
Hyson’s weekend performance earned her Big East Player of the Week.
“Megan is an athlete,” Conlan said. “She is strong and powerful and has a great softball skill set. She has been performing for us since she arrived on campus. She was highly recruited and has lived up to high expectations.”
Creighton’s strong pitching caused Conlan to adjust her approach in practices. Bluejays senior pitcher Becca Changstrom had a 1.40 ERA entering this series. She allowed eight earned runs in only 10 1/3 innings in the two games she started this weekend.
“During batting practice we simulated what our scouting reports were reading about the Creighton pitchers, and our kids were just locked in,” Conlan said.
Georgetown also had a clean series defensively, only committing one error while Creighton made five. The Hoyas also outhit Creighton 21 to 15. Conlan sees this success as a result of the efforts of her players in the offseason and in practice.
“We have a great group of girls [who] have a tremendous work ethic,” Conlan said. “Sweeping Villanova and Creighton to open [the] conference was not a coincidence. This team has been training for these moments since our defeat in the Big East tournament last May.”
The Hoyas hope to continue their strong play when they host the Cornell Big Red today on Guy Mason Field in Washington, D.C., for their home opener. The doubleheader begins at 4 p.m.
