The Georgetown softball team (13-22, 3-2 Big East) took the field last Wednesday against Notre Dame (24-8, 5-0 Big East) with a chance to do something that seemed inconceivable only two weeks ago: take sole possession of first place in the Big East.
On March 19, things looked bleak for the Hoyas. They had lost six out of their past eight, their record stood at 6-20 and the red hot Princeton Tigers were coming to town for a doubleheader. The Hoyas, however, swept the Tigers that day and then carried the momentum forward as they reeled off five more wins in a row, including a three-game sweep of Villanova.
So when Georgetown and Notre Dame met for a doubleheader on Guy Mason Field on Wednesday afternoon as the two remaining teams undefeated in Big East play, the stakes were considerably higher than anyone could have anticipated a short while ago.
The Fighting Irish proved to be too much for the Hoyas, however, defeating Georgetown decisively in both games, 8-2 and 15-3.
The Blue and Gray looked primed to extend their winning streak to nine games early on in the first game when they took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the first inning. Freshman shortstop Samantha Giovanniello got things going for the Hoyas with a leadoff single through the right side of the infield. After sophomore left fielder Sophia Gargicevich-Almeida popped out to third base, senior catcher Shikara Lowe blasted a home run over the centerfield fence, her third of the season.
The home run proved to be the only offense the Hoyas could muster. Notre Dame pitcher Laura Winter was flawless for the remaining six and two-thirds innings, retiring 20 straight Georgetown batters, including twelve by strikeout.
Sophomore pitching ace Lauren O’Leary got the start for the Hoyas and allowed one run in three innings before being pulled from the game with flu-like symptoms.
“Lauren gave us everything she had, but we needed to make a change due to her illness.” Head Coach Pat Conlan said.
That change came in the form of sophomore Megan Hyson. Hyson took the mound in the top of the fourth with a 2-1 lead but surrendered three runs in the fifth inning and four in the sixth, allowing the Fighting Irish to secure the 8-2 victory.
Hyson returned to the circle to start the second game of the doubleheader, and Notre Dame took advantage of having already seen the sophomore in thefirst game, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
The Hoyas’ offense managed to produce more hits in the bottom half of the first than it had in the entire first game, battling back to tie the game. For the second time on the day, Giovanniello led the inning off with a single, which was followed by a base knock by Lowe and a home run by junior right fielder Alexandria Antilla that tied the game at three.
Once again, though, Georgetown failed to score in any inning except for the first and could not keep pace with a prolific Notre Dame offense that ultimately managed 15 runs on 20 hits, the most by a Hoyas’ opponent this season.
“Notre Dame is an excellent team and showed why they are consistently at the top of our conference,” Conlan said.
Despite the setback, the Hoyas remain in fifth place in the Big East and have little time to reflect on their now bygone eight-game win streak as they travel to Piscataway, N.J., this weekend for a three game series against a Rutgers squad riding a three-game win streak of its own.
“The eight-game win streak was exciting and well-deserved, but losses are part of this game, too,” Conlan said. “We have a lot of season left, and we are now focused on getting ready for Rutgers.”
Games against the Scarlet Knights will take place at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday.
