Feb. 7, 2014

Final Stats

WASHINGTON - Behind a fifth-inning go-ahead two-RBI double by senior Hannah Slovacek (Austin, Texas/Westlake), the Georgetown softball team won its season opener, 4-3, over the Liberty Lady Flames at the Florida Gulf Coast University/Four Points By Sheraton Invitational in Ft. Myers, Fla. on Friday afternoon. It marked the third time in the program's nine year history that the team started the season with a win and the first since the Hoyas defeated Liberty in 2012.

"What a great way to open the season especially with a come-from-behind win. The team has been working so hard and it paid off in the first game," said Head Coach Pat Conlan, who has been coaching the team since their inception.

The Hoyas surrendered one run in the top of the first on an RBI single.

In the third inning after giving up two in the top half and facing a 3-0 deficit, the Blue & Gray quickly responded to get back within one run in the bottom half of the inning. Junior Sophia Gargicevich-Alemeida (Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King) started the inning off with a single to center field and then senior Elyse Graziano (Floral Park, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) followed suit with a single to right field. After a lineout by sophomore Samantha Giovanniello (Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park Memorial) who started the game at shortstop, senior Hannah Slovacek reached on a fielder's choice and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Junior designated player Megan Hyson (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) came to the plate and knocked two Hoyas in on her base hit up the middle.

After a scoreless fourth inning for both teams, Slovacek came up in a big way in the fifth to give Georgetown the lead when she doubled in Graziano and Giovanniello, who doubled earlier in the inning.

In her 145 at-bats last season, Slovacek only hit two doubles, but she showed her power early in the season which helped Georgetown win its season opener against the Lady Flames, who the Hoyas have a 2-3 record against.

Junior starting pitcher Lauren O'Leary (La Canada, Calif./La Canada) pitched a complete game for Georgetown on Friday afternoon as she earned her first win of the season. O'Leary faced a total of 29 batters in seven innings while giving up two earned runs (and one unearned runs) on eight hits while striking out seven, walking one and hitting one batter.

"I thought Lauren threw very wall today. I thought she maintained her composure when we got down by three runs and then shut the door," said Coach Conlan. "The more she threw, the better she became. It was a great victory for her and the team."

O'Leary did not give up a run to Liberty in the final four innings.

Georgetown had six different players get hits which included the extra-base hits in the fifth inning by Giovanniello and Slovacek.

Hyson and Slovacek each tallied two RBI in the victory.

"We have a reputation of being a scrappy team that never says die. We proved once again that we are going to fight until the last out," said Conlan.

The Hoyas play tonight, Fri., Feb 7 at 7 p.m. against the host team, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at the FGCU Softball Complex.