Softball

Georgetown kicked off its season in Kennesaw, Ga. this past weekend for the Kennesaw State Tournament. The Hoyas (1-4) started the tournament with two losses on Friday before splitting their two games on Saturday.

The Blue and Gray opened the season Friday with a 2-1 loss to Middle Tennessee State. Georgetown pitcher Jennifer Connell, who led the team last season with a 4.32 earned run average, pitched brilliantly, allowing two runs on seven hits over six innings with three strike-outs. The Georgetown offense only managed one run on seven hits as clutch hits eluded them and they left nine runners on base. In the bottom of the seventh inning, down 2-1 with two outs, short-stop Samantha Peters hit a double, but the Hoyas were unable to bring her home at the end of the game.

After a 4-0 loss to host Kennesaw State to end Friday, Georgetown returned Saturday for a match-up against Tennessee Tech. Connell was spectacular again, pitching a four-hit complete game shutout en route to a 1-0 win. Tennessee Tech saw four of its players reach third base in this defensive battle, but the Hoyas clamped down and escaped unscathed in each situation.

Entering the bottom half of the sixth inning in a scoreless tie, Georgetown used clutch hitting to take the lead. Third baseman Demetria Cipriano reached on an error and advanced to second base. Second baseman Jadig Garcia sacrifice bunted, advancing Cipriano to third base. With Cipriano on third and one out, Peters, who led the team in nearly every batting category last season, gave the Hoyas their second hit of the game and their first lead of the season, singling through the left side to bring in Cipriano and put Georgetown at a 1-0 lead. Connell calmly retired the Tennessee Tech side in the top of the seventh to give Georgetown its first win of the season.

Later in the day, Georgetown found itself matched up against the University of Mississippi. The Hoyas struck first as McKinley Cooper walked and advanced to second base on a fielder’s choice before a passed ball and a wild pitch brought her home to give Georgetown a 1-0 advantage. Ole Miss didn’t take long to respond, scoring three runs on four hits in the bottom of the second inning. The inning proved to be the only bad one for pitcher Melissa Conners, who gave up six hits and three earned runs in four innings of work. The Rebels threatened to increase the lead with runners on second and third with two outs, but Conners forced Mississippi catcher Amber Tramp to fly out to end the inning.

Georgetown responded in the fourth after catcher Suria Bahadue and infielder Kristi Preuss hit back-to-back doubles scoring two runs to tie the game. The experienced Rebels were not to be denied in this one, however, as a two-out single drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to edge the Blue and Gray 4-3.

Next up for Georgetown is a return trip to Georgia for the Georgia Southern Invitational.

— Ryan Travers