WASHINGTON – Junior Anna Brooks Pacha (Houston, Texas / St. John's School) reached her 400th career strikeout on Saturday against DePaul falling to the Blue Demons in a BIG EAST doubleheader at Nats Youth Academy. The Georgetown University softball team dropped a 7-1 decision in the first game and fell 5-3 in the second game. With the pair of losses, the Hoyas fall to 9-26 on the season and 2-5 in the BIG EAST while DePaul advances to 25-9 overall and 5-1 in the league.
 
Junior Noelle Holiday (Bear, Del. / Red Lion Christian Academy) led the Blue & Gray with a pair of hits, including a double and a home run. She batted .400 at the plate and brought in one run. Freshman Mae Forshey (Phoenix, Ariz. / Arcadia) also recorded two hits and an RBI.
 
Pacha took the nod in the circle in game one and threw the first 4.0 innings, allowing five runs off of three hits. She walked five and struck out six to reach her 400th career strikeout. Pacha is just the third pitcher in program history to surpass the 400 milestone. Freshman Cassie Henning (Atlanta, Ga. / Wesleyan) finished the game and allowed a pair of runs off of three hits.
 
While both teams struggled to get the bats going in the first two innings, the Blue Demons changed the pace in the top of the third with a grand slam to left field. DePaul landed a double right after and tried to put another run on the board, but Pacha stopped the hitting streak with her 400th career strikeout.
 
The Blue Demons scored another run in the top of the fourth to make it 5-0. The Hoyas finally got the bats going in the bottom of the inning. Sophomore Macy Cartwright (Naples, Fla. / Naples) reached first using her speed to beat the throw on a bunt toward third base. The sophomore stole second and then advanced to third on a sacrifice hit by sophomore Savannah Jones (San Rafael, Calif. / Terra Linda). Forshey scored Cartwright with a hit to shallow left field, making the score 5-1.
 
In the top of the seventh, DePaul scored another pair of runs off of two doubles to take a 7-1 advantage and sealed the win after the Blue & Gray struggled to find a comeback in its final at-bat.
 
In game two, sophomore London Diller (Sugar Land, Texas / George Ranch) pitched the first 6.0 innings and allowed five runs off of five hits, walked seven and struck out three. Junior Katie Vannicola (Vienna, Va. / James Madison HS) relieved Diller in the circle for the last inning. She allowed one hit and struck out one.
 
Both squads had opportunities to open up the scoring in the first inning but neither team could advance runners home. The Blue Demons found their chance to take a 4-0 lead in the top of the third off of a two-run double and two-RBI homer.
 
The Hoyas entered the scoring column in the bottom of the fourth. Holiday started it off with a double to the outfield and senior Sarah Bennett (Owings, Md. / Northern) drove in the run with a single to right field, making it 4-1. GU advanced the score to 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth when Jones flew out to left field and senior Kelly Amen (Hillsborough, N.J. / Hillsborough) advanced home on the throw.
 
Holiday led off the bottom of the sixth and blasted a hit over the fence in left field to make it a two-run difference with the Blue Demons leading 5-3. Neither team scored anymore runs as DePaul swept GU on the first day of action.
 
Up next, the Blue & Gray will close out the series with a single game against DePaul on Sunday at noon. It will also be Nats Academy Day. Live stats will be available at GUHoyas.com.