The Georgetown University softball team (15-27, 8-10 Big East) faced off against their conference rival St. John’s University Red Storm (17-26, 6-12 Big East) in a three-game series this past weekend. The Georgetown Hoyas lost the first two games to the Red Storm but managed to pull out a win in the final game to avoid the sweep. Each game was a tightly contested affair, characterized by strong overall pitching performances.
Both teams remained scoreless until the sixth inning of the first game. The Red Storm struggled against junior pitcher Julia Parker and sophomore pitcher/first baseman Kayla Dunn initially, as the team notched just 1 hit and a hit by pitch through the first five innings. The Hoyas’ strong defense, highlighted by graduate catcher Mae Forshey throwing out a runner in the first, also helped limit any further damage by the base runners.
Georgetown also failed to capitalize on multiple scoring opportunities to take advantage of St. John’s quiet bats. First-year infielder Kacy Lyman reached third base on a double and sacrifice bunt with just 1 out in the third, but was left stranded following a pop-up and a strikeout. Similarly, the Hoyas loaded the bases in the fifth on 3 singles, yet a well-executed fielder’s choice and flyout helped the Red Storm escape the jam.
The first bit of offense in the game came when Dunn hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, putting Georgetown up 1-0. However, in the bottom half of the inning, St. John’s stormed back, scoring 3 runs of their own to take a 3-1 lead heading into the final frame. The Hoyas managed to get one more run on the board in the top of the 7th inning but ultimately came up short. Despite the loss, graduate outfielder Cameron Kondo had an impressive day, going 3-for-4 at the plate.
The second game proved to be a disappointing result again for the Hoyas, as they jumped out to an early lead but failed to hold on. The first inning was highlighted by Forshey launching a solo home run. The inning ultimately ended up being a disappointment, though, as Georgetown had a chance to tack on more runs with the bases loaded but only managed to push one more runner across the plate.
St. John’s scored 2 runs in the third inning, cutting the lead to 1, and then tied the game in the fourth. The Red Storm then scored on back-to-back home runs in the fifth and would ultimately hang on to their 5-3 lead and secure the game. Forshey was a standout performer for the Hoyas, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Georgetown managed to pull out a win in the final game of the series to avoid the sweep. Forshey continued her strong play, putting the Hoyas on the board in the first inning. This sparked the hottest start of the series for the Hoyas, but despite the initial 2-run first inning, St. John’s answered back immediately with a solo homer and a barrage of RBI hits to score 4 total runs by the end of the first.
A pinch-hit double by senior infielder Sophia Scarangella cleared the bases and put the Hoyas ahead in the third as part of a 3-run inning for Georgetown. The Georgetown defense would see the rest of the game out, with Dunn earning the win after pitching 6 and 1/3 innings and leading Georgetown to a 6-4 victory.
Overall, the Hoyas had a solid weekend as they put up an admirable fight in every inning of the series. Forshey, in particular, had a great weekend at the plate, and Kondo continued her strong season. Dunn carried the bulk of the defensive workload for Georgetown, putting up a great 6.1-inning performance to see out the final game of the series.
While Georgetown was not able to win the series, they offered St. John’s a very competitive series and managed to avoid the sweep on the final day. The team suffered a heartbreaking 2-3 loss to George Mason University in extra innings April 26 and will look to come back stronger against Butler University in a three-game series in Indianapolis, Ind., starting April 28.
