The past few days have been a roller-coaster ride for the Hoyas, as they ended this past weekend with a pair of series splits.
On Friday the Hoyas hosted the Providence Friars in a doubleheader at Guy Mason Field. The first of the two contests was one to forget for Head Coach Pat Conlan and company, as the Friars outmatched the Hoyas in a 9-4 defeat. Though the Hoyas were able to string a three-run inning that featured RBI singles from freshman Mackensey Carter and juniors Suria Bahadue and Olivia Newhouse to take an early lead, their advantage was short-lived. After the Hoyas’ three-run third, the Friars’ offense exploded for seven runs in the following three innings to jump out to a 7-3 edge, which secured a 9-4 victory for Providence. Junior pitcher Jennifer Connell took the loss, allowing nine runs on 14 hits over 7.0 innings.
The following game was a different story for both squads, as Georgetown contained the Providence offense en route to a solid 5-2 win. The Hoyas were led by freshman phenom Carter, who allowed two runs on six hits over 7.0 innings.
This time it was Providence who struck first. After Michelle Huber smashed a home run to right field, the Friars scored on an RBI double to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Carter, however, responded emphatically to make up for her pitching errors, driving home a run to cut the lead in half after one.
Georgetown struck again during its next chance at the plate. After loading the bases, a wild pitch enabled junior Sarah Kamenski to touch home, knotting the score at two. Kamenski’s run was followed by back-to-back doubles from sophomore Kristin Preuss and junior Samantha Peters, putting the Hoyas ahead for good 5-2.
Though Carter allowed only four hits after the first inning, the Friars strung together a few base runners in the top of the sixth to threaten the Hoya lead. Georgetown was bailed out by junior Demetria Cipriano, who made a beautiful backhanded stop and throw to save a run. Carter then fanned the next batter, putting an end to the Friar threat.
The win was Carter’s first Big East victory of the season. Offensively, Preuss, Peters and Bahadue led the Hoyas with two hits apiece.
The Blue and Gray then traveled to Piscataway, N.J., on Sunday to face the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers in yet another doubleheader. Both contests featured late-inning rallies by the Hoyas, but only one of the comebacks propelled the Hoyas to victory.
In the first game the Scarlet Knights got on the board early, capitalizing on a Georgetown error to take a 1-0 lead after one. The next five innings saw little offensive action, as both teams scored one run apiece. In the final inning pitcher Jennifer Connell was given all the run support she needed, as the Hoya offense ignited for six runs. After Preuss started the late inning festivities with a two-run double, Bahadue nailed a three-run home run to give the Hoyas a 6-2 lead. McKinley Cooper then added additional insurance with a home run of her own to extend the Georgetown lead to 7-2.
Connell earned her seventh win of the season, allowing only one earned run on six hits over 7.0 innings. Bahadue and Preuss had two hits apiece and combined for five RBIs to lead the Hoya attack.
The Scarlet Knight offense awoke for the second game, scoring nine runs on 10 hits to salvage a split against the Hoyas. Carter was hit hard in the loss, giving up six runs and eight hits over four innings.
After Carter smashed a three-run home run in the fourth to narrow the Rutgers lead to 6-4, the Scarlet Knights answered with three runs of their own, extending the lead to 9-4. Georgetown was never recovered from the five-run deficit, as their late-inning rally produced only three runs.
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