WASHINGTON -

The Georgetown softball team continues the 2016 season this weekend as it makes the short trip to Fairfax, Va. to participate in the Cherry Blossom Classic.

The Hoyas open the classic with a single game on Friday, March 18 against Canisius at 4:45 p.m. On Saturday, the Blue & Gray plays a doubleheader versus Cornell and Canisius with the first game starting at 10 a.m. Georgetown rounds out the tournament with a second doubleheader on Sunday against Saint Francis (Pa.) at 12:15 pm and George Mason at 2:30 p.m.

Georgetown is going into the classic with a record of 5-16 after facing a competitive weekend at the Arizona State Louisville Slugger Invitational. The Hoyas matched up against nationally ranked James Madison, Nebraska, ASU and Big Ten opponent, Ohio State.

In the Louisville Slugger Invitational, GU was led by a strong showing from the underclassman. Freshman Mallory Belknap (Scottsdale, Ariz./Xavier College Prep) lead the team with a .462 batting average with six hits, while going 2-2 in stolen bases. Freshman Sarah Bennett (Owings, Md./Northern) registered a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 17 put outs at first base.

Overall, the Hoyas own a team batting average of .271 and average 4.7 runs per game. Senior Samantha Giovanniello (Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park Memorial) has a .357 average with five homers and 20 RBI. Belknap is batting .304, while senior Grace Appelbe (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Prep) is hitting .302. Bennett has three home runs and 19 RBI to go with a .295 average.

Georgetown has a team ERA of 6.93. Opponents are batting .361. Giovanniello leads the team with a 5.68 ERA in 72.2 innings, covering 16 appearances, including 13 starts. She has a 4-10 record.

Scouting Canisius: The Golden Griffins are 4-16 this season after a 0-4 weekend at the Capital Invitational. Canisius fell against George Washington (4-3), Gardner-Webb (2-1) and Akron (5-1/3-0).

The Golden Griffins have a team batting average of .224 and average 2.5 runs per game. Moriah Harris leads the team with a .360 average, while Lindsey Silfer has five homers and 16 RBI to go with a .321 average. Harris has three home runs and seven RBI.

Canisius has team ERA of 4.70. Opponents are hitting .320 against the Golden Griffins. Erika Mackie has made 12 appearances, including nine starts, with a 3-7 record. She has a 3.38 ERA in 60 innings, with 31 strikeouts and 25 walks.

Scouting Saint Francis: The Red Flash is 12-12 on the season after a three-game sweep over Cornell last weekend. SFU earned two mercy-rule wins on Saturday, before a 9-7 comeback win last weekend.

Eight SFU batters are hitting over .300 and five have at least 21 hits on the year. Cheyenne McKee leads the team with a .353 average, including eight extra base hits and 19 runs. Madison Cabell is hitting .347, while Hayley Norton is batting .338 with seven doubles, three triples and four home runs. Jordan Seneca leads SFU with six homers and 26 RBI, while hitting .301.

Saint Francis has a team ERA of 4.34 and an opponent batting average of .292. Ethel Santai leads SFU with 42 innings pitched over 14 appearances and five starts.

Scouting Cornell: The Big Red is 0-8 on this season, hitting .281 as a team and averaging 4.9 runs per game. Meg Parker hit two home runs last weekend against SFU and now has three on the season to go along with a team-best .360 average. Emily Wienberg is batting .333 with 10 hits and four RBI out of the leadoff spot. Leanne Iannucci is hitting .304, while Jessica Bigbie owns a .300 average.

The Big Red has a team ERA of 10.72 and an opponent batting average of .380. Maddie Orcutt leads Cornell with 22.2 innings over five appearances, including three starts. Sierra Stone has appeared in four games, with two starts, while Parker has made three starts.

Scouting George Mason: The Patriots, who went 1-2 last weekend at the Stetson Classic, come into the weekend at 8-9 overall. GMU defeated Wagner (6-2), but lost against UT Martin (2-1) and Stetson (1-0).

The Patriots are batting .267 as a team and averaging 4.8 runs per game. McKenzie Jones leads the team with a .333 average, while Liz Seymour has a .327 average and 11 RBI. Casey Price is hitting .320 with a team-best 18 RBI.

The GMU pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.94 and holds opponents to a .244 average. Marina Vitalich has a 3.30 ERA in 46.1 innings. She is 4-5 in 10 appearances, including eight starts and six complete games. Sarah Kleinfelter is 3-3 with a 4.19 ERA in eight appearances, covering 34.1 innings.