Young.
That’s the word Head Coach Pat Conlan uses to describe the Georgetown softball team.
With a roster that includes seven freshmen and four sophomores, the Hoyas have found both promise and peril in their team’s youth.
After closing out last year with just four wins, Georgetown is off to an encouraging first half of the season at 5-18. But Conlan has seen the difficulties they face as a freshman-heavy squad.
“This year we have seven recruited freshmen, and most of them are getting significant playing time,” Conlan said. “So at times we play very good softball, and at other times we play very inexperienced softball, but I think that will come. We are playing better now than we were in our first few games of the season.”
Last Saturday, the Hoyas pulled out wins against Columbia and onmouth at the Rebel Games in Orlando, Fla. In the first game, Georgetown defeated the Lions 4-3 thanks to freshman shortstop Samantha Peters, who went 1-for-2, scored a run, and knocked in an RBI. Later in the day, Georgetown beat Monmouth 2-1, led by freshman pitcher Sarah Kamenski, who gave up one run on six hits in seven innings of work.
Junior captain Katharine Lang went 2-for-2 with one RBI in the game.
Conlan said the team was making progress in exceeding last season’s win total, but remained focused on the road ahead.
“We got a lot of work to do, but it was definitely a good milestone to surpass,” she said.
On Tuesday, Georgetown traveled to Towson for a tough doubleheader against the Tigers. They lost the first game 6-0, as Towson pitchers Shannon Johnston and Kristen Turner held the Hoyas to just three hits. In the second game, Towson won a 6-3 decision. The Hoyas were first to score when freshman Jadig Garcia scored on an RBI-double from Peters. Towson tied the game at one run apiece in the bottom of the inning and added two more runs in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Georgetown responded in the top of the fourth when junior Katharine Lang reached second on an error by Towson’s Ashley Stiner, scoring Sarah Bahadue to cut the lead to one run. But Towson quickly built on its lead, adding one run in the bottom half of the fourth and two more in the fifth to go up 6-2. Georgetown would score only once in the top of the seventh as a double from Peters brought Garcia in for the Hoyas’ third and final run of the game.
Garcia, the team’s leading hitter, went 2-for-3 in the second game and 3-for-5 overall in the doubleheader, all singles.
“She has a lot of tools that can help us be a better program,” Conlan said. “She’s extremely quick and cannot only hit for power, but she uses her speed for the short game.”
Thursday, the Hoyas stuck it to Coppin State, 20-0. Freshman catcher Suria Bahadue led the way with four RBIs, while Peters added three. Freshman hurler Jennifer Connell allowed just two hits and struck out 10 in the complete game victory.
Georgetown plays Northern Illinois (8-9) in a doubleheader Saturday at Guy Mason Field at 1 p.m., and then takes on cross-town rival George Washington on Sunday in another doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
