The Georgetown softball team dropped a series to Providence this weekend, losing two of three games, as the Friars used early-inning scoring sprees to propel them to two Big East wins.

The Hoyas (19-28, 8-8 Big East) allowed the Friars (17-24-1, 4-10 Big East) to jump out to an early lead in game one, giving up two runs in the first inning.  Georgetown answered back in the third, with junior right fielder Alexandria Anttila hitting a solo home run to left center, to cut the lead to 2-1.

“It’s never easy to be behind, but fortunately, Providence went ahead early and we had plenty of innings left to catch up,” Head Coach Pat Conlan said of the team’s attitude at the time.

Despite Conlan’s optimism, Anttila’s homer was the only run the Blue and Gray would put on the board, and the Friars answered with their own solo shot in the bottom of the third inning. They would later add an insurance run to win the game 4-1.

Sophomore pitcher Lauren O’Leary started for the Hoyas and went the distance, allowing three earned runs on only four hits, but her offense could not back her, offering insufficient run support.

“Providence’s [senior] pitcher Corinne Clauss threw an excellent game. We had good at-bats but unfortunately couldn’t string hits together,” Conlan said.

In game two, it was Georgetown that took the early lead when sophomore left fielder SophiaGargicevich-Almeida doubled in freshman shortstop Samantha Giovanniello in the first inning, and junior first baseman Madeleine Giaquinto scored on a sacrifice fly from junior center fielder ElyseGraziano in the second for a 2-0 lead.

The Hoyas added to their lead in the fifth inning on a three-run blast from senior catcher Shikara Lowe, but the Friars answered with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, cutting the Hoyas’ lead to 5-4.

In the top of the sixth, Giovanniello doubled in a run and then scored on a drive from Lowe, who earned her fourth RBI of the game, leading to an eventual 7-5 victory.

“Whenever Providence tried to make a run, we always answered back. We played good defense when they tried to rally and continued to battle the entire game,” Conlan said. “This group doesn’t stop fighting for a victory until the last pitch is thrown.”

Sophomore pitcher Megan Hyson started for the Blue and Gray, earning the win in five innings of work, and O’Leary came on in relief for the final two innings to earn the save.

The win was the Hoyas’ 19th of the season, tying the program record for wins that was set by last year’s team. With seven games still remaining in the regular season, though, that clip will almost surely be broken.

“We are a different team with a different lineup and personnel so it is very difficult to compare [to last year’s]. I think this team is more balanced and well rounded in every aspect of the game,” Conlan said.

In the rubber match on Sunday, Georgetown scored a run in the first, which Providence answered with two runs in the second.  In the third inning, Lowe led off with a double and Hyson drove her in, pulling the teams even at two runs apiece.

But in the bottom of the third, Providence exploded for four runs, including three consecutive solo home runs.  O’Leary, who had started the game, did not return for the fourth inning.

“We ultimately just gave up too many home runs,” Conlan said. “It is difficult to win games when we can’t keep the ball in the park. Our team doesn’t have a chance to play defense, and the pressure to score is continuously there.”

Georgetown chipped away at the lead in the fifth inning, when junior second baseman Hannah Slovacek drove in Lowe and Lowe hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning for another RBI to bring the Hoyas within two runs.

In the top of the seventh, freshman third baseman Taylor Henry hit a bases loaded single to make it a one-run game, but the next three Georgetown batters were retired on a groundout and two strikeouts to end the rally and end the game, giving the Friars a 6-5 win.

“We never like to lose. If you want to be successful, you have to hate losing more than you love winning. I think our kids feel that way,” Conlan said. “We fought until the last pitch and had the opportunities to win — we just ran out of game. However, I love the way we competed. To me that is always a victory in my eyes.”

Georgetown next plays Big East rival Louisville this weekend in a three-game series starting with a doubleheader on Saturday in Louisville, Ky.

“Our focus continues to be the same. We are not trying to do anything different,” Conlan said. “I love what we are about, and we just need to bring the same energy to the ballpark for every game and we will be in good shape.”