Feb. 18, 2011

WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University softball team lost the second game of a season-opening doubleheader, falling to Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), 10-0, on Friday night in Fort Myers, Fla.

The Blue & Gray (0-2) were under pressure from the start. The Eagles (3-3) loaded the bases in the first inning, but were unable to score as senior Melissa Conners (Wellington, Fla./Wellington) worked her way out of the jam and stranded all three base runners.

Similar to the squad's first game, the second inning proved troublesome for the Hoyas. FGCU pushed across five runs on four hits to go up 5-0. The tournament hosts tacked on one run in the fifth inning and four more in the seventh to put the game away.

Georgetown's best chance came in the fourth inning following a leadoff hit by freshman Jenna Stark (Huntington Beach, Calif./Orange Lutheran), but sophomore Jordan Hansen (Omaha, Neb./Millard West) hit a line drive shot directly at the second baseman, who promptly turned the double play.

Stark paced the Hoyas with two hits, while Shikara Lowe (Beaverton, Ore./Jesuit) added a single of her own in the first. The sophomore catcher is batting .600 on the year, with a home run and 2 RBI.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Blair Sirockman (Flemington, N.J./The Hun School of Princeton) made her collegiate debut in the contest, pitching the final six frames in relief, giving up four earned runs while striking out four.

Georgetown returns to action tomorrow morning in the second day of the FGCU tournament. The Hoyas will play Saint Louis at 9 a.m. and match up against Michigan State at 11:15 a.m.