George Washington University
0-1
Providence
1-0
Softball Falls on First Day of 2017 Competition
2/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
ORLANDO, Fla. - The George Washington softball team scored 11 runs on its first day of the 2017 season, but ultimately dropped a pair of games at the Orange Blossom Invitational at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex on Friday.
The Colonials (0-2) first fell to Providence, 9-3, before being outlasted by LIU Brooklyn, 9-8, in the nightcap.
The Buff and Blue got on the board first against Providence as freshman Elena Shelepak doubled to right with one out in the top of the second. A single by sophomore Rochelle Draper drove in Shelepak to give the Colonials a 1-0 lead.
Providence answered with four runs in its half of the inning on four hits, a walk and a hit batter to take a 4-1 advantage.
The Colonials cut the deficit in the third when a walk and a single put runners on the corners. A wild pitch then allowed a run to cross the plate.
GW scored again in the fourth as junior Morgan Rinehart led off the frame with a single up the middle, followed by another single by Draper. Junior Alana Anderson reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases with one out for senior Megan Linn, who grounded out to the right side to plate a run before the end of the inning and put the score at 4-3.
The Friars added insurance in the fifth, tallying five runs with the help of two errors as Providence went on to take a 9-3 win.
In the nightcap, LIU Brooklyn opened the first inning with two runs on a walk and two hits, but the Colonials answered with four runs in the bottom of the stanza.
Anderson led off the inning with a double to left and was joined on the bases after Linn walked. Freshman Priscilla Martinez then singled to plate one. Rookie Jenna Cone took one for the team to load the bases and senior Paige Kovalsky singled to right field to drive in two runs. Shelepak then singled to score another and put the Colonials ahead, 4-2, after one inning of play.
LIU Brooklyn cut GW's lead in the third, scoring one run.
Neither team would score again until the sixth, when LIU Brooklyn scored one then followed with a three-run home run to take a 7-4 advantage.
The Colonials scored two of their own in the bottom of the inning, as a hit batter and a walk put a runner in scoring position for Rinehart, who came up with an RBI double to right, leaving a runner on third base. GW scored its final run of the sixth when Draper tagged up on Anderson's foul fly ball to left.
LIU Brooklyn tacked on two more in the seventh with the help of an error.
GW rallied in the final frame, beginning with a leadoff single by Cone and a Kovalsky single. Shelepak walked to load the bases and a fielder's choice allowed a run to score. An infield single by Rinehart plated another, but LIU Brooklyn got out of the jam to take a 9-8 win.
Kovalsky finished the day with a team-best four hits, adding two RBI and a stolen base to her final line. Five other Colonials tallied multi-hit days.
GW continues the Orange Blossom Invitational with games against Bethune Cookman and Delaware on Saturday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: RAMIREZ (1-0)
L: Costlow, Sarah (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Shelepak, Elena 1
RBI: Linn, Megan 1 ; Draper, Rochelle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cone, Jenna 1 ; Shelepak, Elena 1 ; Rinehart, Morgan 1
SB: Kovalsky, Paige 1
HBP: Linn, Megan 1
Batting:
2B: PORTILLO 1 ; COMPTON 1
3B: LUNDSTROM 1
RBI: MULRY 1 ; LUNDSTROM 2 ; KEMP 1 ; MARTIN 2 ; COMPTON 2
SF: KEMP 1
Base Running:
RUNS: LEE 1 ; LUNDSTROM 1 ; VELER 1 ; PORTILLO 1 ; KEMP 1 ; MARTIN 2 ; COMPTON 2
HBP: MULRY 1 ; VELER 1 ; PORTILLO 1
