George Washington University
25-22, 8-10
Saint Joseph's
20-23, 11-6
Softball Takes Two at SJU
4/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
PHILADELPHIA - The George Washington softball team took the first two games of a three-game series at Atlantic 10 foe Saint Joseph's on Saturday afternoon. The Colonials go for the series sweep on Sunday at noon.
The Colonials (26-22, 9-10 A-10) edged the Hawks, 3-2, in game one before breaking out the bats for an 11-5 game two victory.
A pitchers' duel ensued through the first five innings of game one, with neither team scoring until the sixth.
The Colonials got on the board when sophomore Riley Tejcek drove in freshman Priscilla Martinez with a single to center to put the Buff and Blue ahead 1-0.
Saint Joseph's quickly tied the game with a run in the bottom of the inning.
GW plated two in the seventh to move ahead with bases loaded singles from Martinez and senior Paige Kovalsky. The Hawks attempted to rally in the seventh, scoring one, but the Colonials held off the surge to claim a 3-2 victory.
Junior Sarah Costlow tossed 6.1 innings to claim her 10th win of the season before freshman Faith Weber entered in the seventh to secure the save.
Martinez led the offense with the squad's only multi-hit effort. Freshman slugger Jenna Cone - the A-10's home run leader - was walked four times in the contest.
Game two told a different tale as both squads began the game with three first inning runs. Kovalsky's first inning triple brought two around to score and she later crossed the plate on an RBI ground out from freshman Elena Shelepak.
GW tallied three more in the second to take a 6-3 lead when Martinez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Kovalsky again issued a big blow with a two-run double.
The Buff and Blue kept the pressure on, scoring twice more in the third on a solo home run by Shelepak followed by a run-scoring error.
The Hawks plated one in the fifth, but GW put up yet another three-spot in the sixth on RBI singles from senior Megan Linn and Martinez. Another RBI ground out for Shelepak finished the Colonials' scoring, giving the squad an 11-4 advantage.
Saint Joseph's managed one run in the seventh but could not overcome the deficit as the Colonials won game two, 11-5.
Another tag-team effort by Costlow and Weber secured the win as Costlow tossed the first two frames before Weber threw the final five to earn the victory.
Kovalsky led the offense in the nightcap with three hits and four RBIs, while Linn and freshman Jessica Linquist each notched a pair of hits.
A victory on Sunday would give the Colonials their first three-game series sweep of the season and bolster the squad's chances of earning a spot at the A-10 Championship.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Costlow, Sarah (10-7)
L: VENTURA, Ashley (12-11)
S: Weber, Faith (1)
Batting:
2B: Martinez, Priscilla 1
RBI: Martinez, Priscilla 1 ; Kovalsky, Paige 1 ; Tejcek, Riley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cone, Jenna 1 ; Martinez, Priscilla 1 ; Linquist, Jessica 1
SB: Linn, Megan 1
Batting:
2B: GROBER, Taryn 1
RBI: KULP, Amanda 1 ; ABADIE, Caela 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GROBER, Taryn 1 ; KAPALA, Molly 1
SB: KULP, Amanda 1 ; ABADIE, Caela 1
HBP: KAPALA, Molly 1
