Any win is big, but Saturday’s win over La Salle could not have been bigger or come at a better time for Georgetown.
The Hoyas snapped their 13 game losing streak on Saturday by sweeping La Salle in a doubleheader in Philadelphia. Georgetown (10-37) shut down the Explorers, allowing only one run in two games, while getting the clutch hits that had eluded them during the losing streak. The Hoyas won the first game 5-0 and the second 5-1.
In the first game, Georgetown freshman pitcher Jennifer Connell held La Salle to two hits in seven innings while striking out four. She got all the run support she needed in the third inning when the Hoyas loaded the bases for leading hitter Samantha Peters. Peters hit a single, scoring freshmen infielder Demetria Cipriano and outfielder Sarah Kamenski.
Freshman outfielder Olivia Newhouse followed with another single to score classmate Jadig Garcia and give Georgetown a 3-0 lead. Freshman catcher Suria Bahadue finished off the scoring by singling in Peters to give the Hoyas a commanding 4-0 lead.
Georgetown added an insurance run in the fifth inning when senior Cathy Richter doubled to score Newhouse and take a 5-0 lead.
That would be all the offense Georgetown needed, as they recorded 11 hits in their 5-0 victory. Cipriano, Newhouse, Peters and Connell each had two hits for the Hoyas.
The losing streak was, at long last, over.
“I think anytime you win it’s a confidence booster,” Head Coach Pat Conlan said. “However the wins at La Salle were a great indicator of what this team is capable of when we put all aspects of the game together.”
Just as one streak ended, Georgetown began another one in the second half of the double header as they came away with a 5-1 victory.
Georgetown got on the board quickly when Peters hit her third home run of the season, this time a two-run shot, to give the Hoyas a 2-0 advantage.
Peters has been consistent all season and has quickly become one of the team’s leaders in nearly every offensive category.
“Sam is a great ballplayer. Vocally she is a quiet leader,” Conlan said. “We expected a great deal when we recruited Sam and she has lived up to those expectations. She is going to have a tremendous career at Georgetown.”
Cipriano led off the third inning with a single. After Garcia was hit by a pitch and Peters added another single, Georgetown had the bases loaded and no outs for Newhouse.
The outfielder delivered an RBI single to give the Hoyas a 3-0 lead they would not relinquish.
With two outs and runners on second and third, Richter hit a two-RBI double to score Newhouse and Peters and give Georgetown a 5-0 lead.
La Salle once again had no answer for Connell as she held them to three hits and one run over seven innings, the Hoyas winning 5-1.
The Georgetown defense continued its excellent play, which was not lost on Conlan.
“I have always been a defensive minded coach … so that is an area that my teams will focus a great deal on,” she said. “We are making plays right now that we were not making earlier in the season.”
Georgetown plays host to Coppin State on Tuesday in a doubleheader at Guy Mason Field, just minutes from campus. The Hoyas won their last meeting with Coppin State 20-0 on March 15. Before the game, Georgetown will recognize their two senior leaders, Lacey Campbell and Cathy Richter. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.