After a disappointing 2011 season, Georgetown’s softball team (2-2) started anew by opening their 2012 season with a win over Liberty Saturday in the Elon Tournament.

But despite topping the Flames, 9-2, in the first game of the tourney, they could do no better than .500 on the weekend, picking up a win over North Carolina Central and then losing to Elon, 8-0, and dropping a rematch to Liberty, 7-2.

The Blue and Gray offense showed up big on Saturday morning with seven Hoyas recording hits and five of those seven having multi-hit games.

A combination of fresh faces and veterans contributed to the Hoyas’ win against Liberty. Georgetown was strong from the get-go, scoring three runs in the first inning highlighted by sophomore first baseman Madeleine Giaquinto’s two-run single. Giaquinto, who saw little playing time for the Hoyas in her freshman season, drove in four runs.

Sophomore right fielder Samantha Findling, a Michigan State transfer, made an impact with three hits in her first game as a Hoya. Senior Mackensey Carter started in the circle for the Hoyas, pitching four innings and securing the win by allowing no earned runs. Carter attributed the victory to good vibes in the dugout.

“The team was positive, loose and having fun,” Carter said.

And it wasn’t just Carter’s strong pitching that made Head Coach Pat Conlan happy.

“I was very excited with our offensive performance,” Conlan said.

However, the Hoyas were unable to maintain that offense as the day went on. It took only four innings for Elon to defeat Georgetown, and sophomore pitcher Hannah Slovacek had a disappointing season-opening performance: She allowed seven runs in just two innings.

“We need to work on staying ahead in the count and hitting our spots,” Conlan said.

The Hoyas aimed to start off the day just as they had done on Saturday and again came out well. Sunday’s win against the Eagles was an all-around effort.

Sophomore outfielder Elyse Graziano contributed three hits and Carter, freshman pitcher Megan Hyson and freshman pitcher Lauren O’Leary collectively gave a solid pitching performance, holding the Eagles to four earned runs. The Blue and Gray had 13.

“Our pitching staff is deep, and it allows us to have many different options to go to,” Conlan said. “I am excited to see how they continue to develop.”

While the pitching was stellar in the morning, the Hoyas faltered again in the afternoon. Senior designated hitter Cara Savarese had a powerful offensive performance, but the Hoyas could not finish a weekend sweep of the flames.

The Hoyas were on the board first and maintained their 1-0 lead until the fifth inning, but then things began to fall apart.

O’Leary, who had only allowed three hits in the first four innings, allowed five in the fifth before being replaced by Carter, who allowed two more. The Flames’ dominant fifth was the key in their rout, as the Hoyas were unable to respond to the Flames’ six-run inning. They mustered just one run the rest of the way.

“We did not handle Liberty’s short game very well, which put additional pressure on the defense,” Conlan said. “We left a number of players on base in scoring position.”

Liberty tacked on one more in the seventh, sealing their victory and evening out the Hoyas’ record at 2-2.

As a result, the verdict for the Hoyas was decidedly mixed, with players finding room for improvement on both offense and defense.

“We need to fine-tune some defensive plays and just get comfortable being on the field with each other again,” Carter said.

The Hoyas will travel to Spartanburg, S.C. this weekend for the USC-Upstate Tournament. Their first game is Friday against UNC-Wilmington at 6 p.m.