WASHINGTON -

The Georgetown University softball team opens its sixteen-game home campaign this weekend with four games at the District Invite, March 4-6. Co-hosting with George Washington, the Hoyas (2-10) and the Colonials will welcome Monmouth, Maryland, Robert Morris and Columbia.

Playing at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, the Hoyas start the weekend on Friday with a doubleheader against Monmouth and Maryland at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively. GU follows with a single game on Saturday versus Robert Morris and a single game against Columbia on Sunday with both games slated for 1:30 p.m.

All games will be free to attend and live streaming will be available on the Georgetown softball schedule at www.guhoyas.com and at the District Invite tournament page.

Georgetown heads into the weekend with a 2-10 record after picking up an 8-2 win over Fairfield at the Carolina Classic last weekend in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Leading the Hoyas this season has been the offensive duo of freshman Sarah Bennett (Owings, Md./Northern) and senior Samantha Giovanniello (Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park Memorial)

Bennett, who registers a .333 batting average, was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after leading the Hoyas offensively and defensively at the Carolina Classic over the weekend.

Matching up against IUPUI, Fairfield and UNC, Bennett registered a team-best seven hits, including two doubles, one home run and had 12 total bases. Starting and playing in the weekend's four games, Bennett also led the Blue & Gray with a .467 batting average and a .800 slugging percentage. The freshman totaled 12 bases and recorded five RBI.

Defensively, Bennett secured 19 put outs at first base including a season-high 13 against IUPUI. Overall, Bennett has recorded four doubles and three home runs for a team-best 15 RBI.

Giovanniello follows close behind with a .324 batting average. Driving in 14 runs, the senior has posted three doubles and four home runs to tie for seventh in Georgetown single season history. Her four home runs also rank first in the BIG EAST.

Scouting Monmouth: Picked to finish sixth this season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, Monmouth heads into its second weekend of the season with a 1-3 record. Offensively, the Hawks are led by Emma Hill, who holds a .412 batting average with a team-best seven hits. In the circle, Monmouth has split time among Amanda Riley and Sydney Underhill. Together, they average a 4.31 ERA, tossing out only 12 strikeouts this season. The Hawks finished last season 19-25 (12-8 MAAC) and made a run to the championship round of the MAAC Championships, finishing as the conference runner-up.

Series: The Hoyas hold a 1-0 all-time advantage over the Hawks. The teams last met in 2007 when Georgetown garnered a 2-1 win over Monmouth on the final day of competition at the Rebel Games in Orlando, Fla.

Scouting Maryland: Maryland heads into the weekend with a 5-10 record after dropping a pair of games to the Lions last weekend at the FAU Invitational. The Terps did battle back and take down host-FAU in an 11-inning battle, 8-7, on Saturday, Feb. 27. This season, the Terps have played against a pair of top-10 teams in then-No. 6 Oregon (L, 7-2) and No. 5 Alabama (L, 1-0 & L, 10-5) and FAU was receiving votes during the time of their meeting. Leading the way is Kristina Dillard who holds a .388 average with a team-high 11 RBI after hitting three doubles and a home run this season for a .510 slugging percentage. Martin Madison has been dominant in the circle this year for the Terps, posting a 1-0 record and 1.73 ERA after 32.1 innings with the majority coming out of the bullpen and has held opponents to a team-leading .267 batting average this year.

Series: The Terps lead the series against the Hoyas, 8-0. This is the first time the teams are meeting since 2011.

Scouting Robert Morris: Robert Morris enters the District Invite with a 2-11 record after dropping its last 11 games and are coming off a tough matchup against then-No. 10/12 James Madison at the Macado's Invitational in Harrisonburg, Virginia, last weekend. Jordan Gurganus leads the way with a .442 batting average after going 19-for-43 in 12 games while adding two RBI and a pair of stolen bases. Kaitlin Ellzy has been the go-to in the circle for the Colonials, picking up the only two wins for Robert Morris while posting a 3.26 ERA and a .293 opponent batting average in 38.2 innings of work.

Series: Georgetown and Robert Morris are tied 1-1, having last met at the Under Armour Showcase in Tampa, Fla. in 2015.

Scouting Columbia: The Lions head into their second weekend of action with a 2-3 record after taking away a pair of wins from Maryland last weekend at the FAU Invite. During the five-game stretch, the Lions combined for 13 runs on 33 hits while batting .256. Sophomore Maddie Gott led the way at the plate for the Lions in their season-opening weekend, hitting .353 (6-for-17) with a home run and a pair of RBI for a .529 slugging percentage. The home run came in the first inning against Maryland on Feb. 25 to help lead the Lions to their first win of the 2016 season, defeating the Terps, 4-1.

Series: The Hoyas control the short series against the Lions, 2-0. The teams last met in 2014 at the Hofstra Tournament, when Georgetown kept Columbia scoreless and Alessandra Gargicevich-Almeida (Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King) registered her first home run of the season.