March 23, 2012
WASHINGTON - Georgetown University softball (13-17) will play its first home series this weekend against Notre Dame (11-10) at Guy Mason Field on Saturday, March 24. The first game of the Saturday doubleheader is slated to begin at 1 p.m. The Hoyas and Fighting Irish will meet again on Sunday for one game scheduled at noon.
The Blue & Gray enters the game on a three game winning streak with wins over Sacred Heart, Mount St. Mary's and George Washington.
The doubleheader on Saturday will mark the first BIG EAST contest for both squads. Notre Dame was tabbed to finish third in the BIG EAST with three first place votes after finishing the 2011 season as BIG EAST regular season championships. The Hoyas were picked to finish twelfth.
Georgetown currently holds the ninth spot in the conference, with the Fighting Irish in the eighth place position.
Shikara Lowe (Beaverton, Ore./Jesuit) has been the most multi-faceted offensive weapon for the Hoyas, ranking fifth in the BIG EAST in RBI with 20. The junior is the most walked player in the BIG EAST with 15 walks in 29 games, and ranks second in on base percentage (.510). Lowe is currently batting .373 and leads the team with 28 hits.
Elyse Graziano (Floral Park, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) is in a three-way tie for third in stolen bases in the conference, going nine-for-ten on steal attempts in 2012.
Georgetown pitchers
Megan Hyson (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake),
Lauren O'Leary (La Canada, Calif./La Canada),
Mackensey Carter (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) and
Hannah Slovacek (Austin, Texas/Westlake) have combined for the fifth-best pitching staff in the BIG EAST with an ERA of 2.59.
Notre Dame is on a two game losing streak, with defeats at the hands of No. 19 Michigan on March 15 and No. 3 Washington March 16. The Fighting Irish have posted one win over a ranked opponent on February 26 at Chapel Hill against No. 24 UNC.
Notre Dame ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with a team batting average of .275. Alexa Maldonado leads all batters at .362 with 25 hits and 15 runs. Dani Miller and Amy Buntin have 18 RBI apiece over 21 games.
Laura Winter leads Fighting Irish pitchers with 107 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA.
Georgetown and Notre Dame will meet for the fifth time all time, with the Fighting Irish leading the series 4-0.
All games will be available through GameTracker at guhoyas.com.
