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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Softball | Hoyas Finish 0-2 at GMU Invitational

The Georgetown softball team (5-18) played in the George Mason Cherry Blossom Classic in Fairfax, Va., this weekend, losing to Cornell (0-8) and Canisius (4-16). The Hoyas went into this weekend’s doubleheader with a record of 5-16, after a tough series of matchups at the Arizona State Louisville Slugger Invitational.

The Hoyas played two games at the Cherry Blossom Classic; the first was a 4-1 loss to Canisius, the second was a 6-5 loss to Cornell. The three games that were supposed to follow these contests were either postponed or cancelled. In Georgetown’s first game of the tournament against Canisius, the Hoyas started off strong, scoring a run in the second inning. Georgetown junior catcher Gabriela Elvina walked on her first at bat. After a single from junior infielder Alessandra Gargicevich-Almeida, Elvina scored the first run of the game to give Georgetown the 1-0 lead.

“Any time you can get on the board and take the momentum and set the tone for the game is a good thing,” Head Coach Pat Conlan said.

In the top of the third inning, however, Canisius quickly took the 3-1 lead. Canisius senior outfielder Tori Nappo hit a single, followed up with a triple from junior outfielder Jessica Berzins, allowing Nappo to score and giving Berzins her first RBI of the game. Senior infielder Alexis Roman and sophomore infielder Moriah Harris then hit back-to-back singles, allowing Berzins to score.

Building on the momentum, junior outfielder Silfer singled and earned an RBI, sending Harris to second and allowing Roman to score. After four hits in seven at bats, Canisius looked strong and would hold the lead for the rest of the game. Despite three more hits in the sixth and seventh innings, Georgetown failed to come back from the 4-1 deficit.

“Our backs were against the wall, and I don’t think we responded well,” Conlan said of the team’s comeback attempt.

After its loss to Canisius, Georgetown entered the second game of the Cherry Blossom Classic looking to beat Cornell.
After a strong first inning from the Big Red, the Hoyas were down 3-0 but had plenty of time to catch up.

“We’re scoring early or we’re scoring late,” Conlan said of her team’s offensive struggles. “And I think that’s something of a concern, that we’re not scoring consistently throughout a game.”

For the next three innings, neither team scored. Georgetown senior pitcher Samantha Giovanniello had a strong showing in these innings, with very few players even getting on base. With the score still 3-0 in Cornell’s favor at the top of the sixth inning, Georgetown had just two more innings to dig itself out of the deficit. After a strong sixth inning, the Hoyas scored three runs, tying the game at 3-3. However, Cornell infielder/outfielder Emily Weinberg earned a run to give the Big Red a 4-3 lead.

In the top of the seventh, the Hoyas had one more chance to take the lead. Senior third baseman Taylor Henry hit a single, and freshman infielder Olivia Russ hit a sacrifice bunt to send her to second. Then, sophomore outfielder Theresa Kane hit a double, sending Henry home to tie the game at four. Giovanniello hit a triple, allowing Kane to score, which gave the Hoyas a 5-4 lead over the Big Red.

Cornell senior infielder Taylor Goodin hit a single to lead off the bottom of the seventh, followed by a pinch-hit single from sophomore infielder Tori Togashi. After a Weinberg single, Parker hit a two-RBI single, sending two runners home and securing the 6-5 victory over the Blue and Gray.

For Georgetown, the Cherry Blossom Classic ended in two losses despite solid efforts in both outings.

“I think we were an underachieving team this weekend,” Conlan said. “We want to be a lot of things, but underachieving isn’t one of them.”

However, Conlan said the Hoyas are optimistic for the rest of their season — particularly the start of conference play.
“The great thing about this time of year is that you have an opportunity to start your season over again with conference play,”

Conlan said. “We’re going to continue to work and get better in every area of our game and hopefully start to put things together for conference. This is the time that matters most for us.”

The Hoyas will next take the field against the St. John’s Red Storm (13-12) next Friday and Saturday at Guy Mason Field in Washington, D.C.

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