Feb. 23, 2014

Boston 6, Georgetown 3 | Michigan State 8, Georgetown 2

WASHINGTON - The Georgetown softball team (3-6) dropped its back-to-back doubleheader on Sunday in Columbia, S.C. to close out its participation in the 2014 Gamecock Invitational. The Hoyas fell to Boston University (3-1) in the morning, 6-3, followed by an 8-2 loss to Michigan State (4-7) in the afternoon.

Boston 6, Georgetown 3
Junior Lauren O'Leary (1-3, La Canada, Calif./La Canada) started the Boston University game for Georgetown and pitched six innings. The junior gave up seven hits and allowed three unearned runs. Freshman Delaney Osterday (Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc) relieved O'Leary for seventh inning where she gave up one hit and one earned run.

Senior CF Elyse Graziano (Floral Park, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) helped lead a Georgetown offense, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. The Hoyas had a quiet offense early on. Freshman 1B Alessandra Gargicevich-Almeida (Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King) singled up the middle in the third for the first GU hit of the game. Georgetown walked once in both the fourth and fifth inning, but were not able to move the runners.

The Blue & Gray got their first scoring opportunity in the sixth inning. Two batters after a Graziano single, senior 2B Hannah Slovacek (Austin, Texas/Westlake) singled to left field to bring junior DH Megan Hyson (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) up with runners on first and second. Hyson loaded the bases on a fielder's choice with only one out. Georgetown ended the inning with the bases remaining loaded as Boston University pitcher Melanie Russell lined out and stuck out the final two batters of the inning.

Georgetown put together a three-run, four-hit rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. Lauren Hynes relieved the BU starting pitcher after she allowed an Alexandria Anttila (Antioch, Ill./Antioch Community) single, a Gabriela Elvina (Edison, N.J./Bishop George Ahr) RBI-double, a Graziano RBI-single and a Grace Appelbe (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Prep) RBI-double to start off the inning. Hynes got Slovacek to line out for the second out but then walked Hyson. Then, a Michigan State fielding error allowed sophomore LF Samantha Giovanniello (Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park Memorial) to reach. Trailing 6-3, the Hoyas had Giovanniello on first in the bases loaded situation as the tying run. But Hynes earned the save when she got sophomore 3B Taylor Henry (Front Royal, Va./Skyline) to fly out to left-center to end the game.

"I didn't think we played our best softball this weekend but there were many things that we did that I was very happy with," Georgetown Head Coach Pat Conlan. "We need to keep working hard so we can put all the phases of the game together at the same time. These girls are competitors; they are fun to watch and they are tremendously hard-workers, so I have no doubt we will be able to put it all together."

Michigan State 8, Georgetown 2
The Hoyas played their second game on Sunday immediately following the loss to Boston University.

Georgetown drew first blood, scoring two runs in the first to give them the early lead. With two outs in the inning, Slovacek drew a walk and was then doubled in by Hyson, who advanced to third on the throw home. Giovanniello walked to put runners on first and third for Anttila, who singled Hyson in from third, giving the Hoyas a 2-0 lead.

In the circle, Hyson (2-3) retired the second, third and fourth batters after hitting the lead off Michigan State batter.

The Michigan State Spartans took a 4-2 lead in the second after capitalizing on four hits and two Georgetown errors. MSU would tack on two more runs in the bottom of the third and one run in each of the fourth and fifth innings to give them the eventual 8-2 victory over the Hoyas.

GU recorded its final two hits on the afternoon in the fourth inning on A. Gargicevich-Almeida and Elvina singles, but both runners were stranded on the base paths.

Next Week
The Hoyas travel to Charlotte, N.C. next for five games from Fri., Feb. 28 to Sun., March 2. Georgetown opens the UNC-Charlotte-hosted tournament against Liberty at 10 a.m. on Friday, whom the Hoyas beat in a 4-3 season-opening victory.