Friday, March 6
Washington, DC
2 PM
George Washington University
vs
Winthrop
Softball Set to Host Buff & Blue Challenge
3/5/2020 10:00:00 AM | Softball
Softball Set to Host Buff & Blue Challenge
GW softball looks for a second straight winning weekend on the Mount Vernon Campus when it hosts the Buff and Blue Challenge.Â
The Colonials will play four games over three days on their home field, starting with a matchup vs. Winthrop on Friday at 2 p.m. A pair of MAAC squads in Monmouth and Rider are also part of the event.
LAST TIME OUT:Â GW won two of three games as part of the Colonial Classic, closing the weekend with victories over Morgan State and Princeton.
The Colonials earned a 7-5 walk-off triumph over the Tigers in extra innings. Down to their final out in the eighth, Sidney Bloomfield tied the game with a single before Elena Shelepak swatted a game-winning home run.
Shelepak knocked in seven runs on the weekend after matching a career high by driving in five runs in GW's 9-0 win over Morgan State in five innings. In the circle, Kaitlin Buff limited the Bears to three hits over five frames in her first career shutout.
Jenna Cone blasted her team-leading fourth home run of the season vs. Morgan State. The two-run shot was the 54th of her decorated career, which ranks fourth nationally among active student-athletes.
WORKING OVERTIME: Faith Weber recorded a pair of eight-inning complete games on the weekend. The senior from New Jersey pitched into extra innings for the first time in her career on Friday, battling Towson in a 3-2 setback. She repeated the feat against Princeton, racking up seven strikeouts over eight innings in her team-leading fourth win of the season.
Weber has already equaled a career high with 10 starts, posting a 4.87 ERA through 50 1/3 innings.
HEATING UP:Â Jessica Linquist put together an excellent weekend at the top of the GW order, hitting .750 (6-for-8) with a pair of walks. The senior catcher scored three times, knocked in a pair of runs and stole three bases. She recorded a pair of three-hit games, highlighted by a 3-for-4 effort vs. Towson in which she notched a single, a double and a triple.
Along the way, Linquist raised her season batting average to .308. The New Jersey native leads the Colonials in runs (12), doubles (five) and steals (four).
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION:Â Winthrop (9-8) has had a break since splitting a doubleheader vs. Western Carolina on Feb. 25. The Eagles were picked fourth in the Big South preseason poll after winning 30 games and advancing to the conference final a year ago.
Monmouth won four of five games at the Coastal Carolina Invitational last weekend to improve to 9-6 on the season. The Hawks won their second straight MAAC title in 2019 to advance to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.
Rider has lost its first nine games of the season after an 0-5 weekend in Georgia facing Georgia Tech, Georgia State and Kennesaw State. The Broncs went 10-44 (6-14 MAAC) last spring.
ON DECK:Â GW hosts six games at The Vern next week with No. 19 Virginia Tech (Tuesday), Bucknell (Wednesday) and Maryland Eastern Shore (Saturday-Sunday) visiting.
WATCH THIS: Hear from head coach Shane Winkler, Hannah Eslick and Megan Osterhaus ahead of the Buff and Blue Challenge.
The Colonials will play four games over three days on their home field, starting with a matchup vs. Winthrop on Friday at 2 p.m. A pair of MAAC squads in Monmouth and Rider are also part of the event.
LAST TIME OUT:Â GW won two of three games as part of the Colonial Classic, closing the weekend with victories over Morgan State and Princeton.
The Colonials earned a 7-5 walk-off triumph over the Tigers in extra innings. Down to their final out in the eighth, Sidney Bloomfield tied the game with a single before Elena Shelepak swatted a game-winning home run.
Shelepak knocked in seven runs on the weekend after matching a career high by driving in five runs in GW's 9-0 win over Morgan State in five innings. In the circle, Kaitlin Buff limited the Bears to three hits over five frames in her first career shutout.
Jenna Cone blasted her team-leading fourth home run of the season vs. Morgan State. The two-run shot was the 54th of her decorated career, which ranks fourth nationally among active student-athletes.
WORKING OVERTIME: Faith Weber recorded a pair of eight-inning complete games on the weekend. The senior from New Jersey pitched into extra innings for the first time in her career on Friday, battling Towson in a 3-2 setback. She repeated the feat against Princeton, racking up seven strikeouts over eight innings in her team-leading fourth win of the season.
Weber has already equaled a career high with 10 starts, posting a 4.87 ERA through 50 1/3 innings.
HEATING UP:Â Jessica Linquist put together an excellent weekend at the top of the GW order, hitting .750 (6-for-8) with a pair of walks. The senior catcher scored three times, knocked in a pair of runs and stole three bases. She recorded a pair of three-hit games, highlighted by a 3-for-4 effort vs. Towson in which she notched a single, a double and a triple.
Along the way, Linquist raised her season batting average to .308. The New Jersey native leads the Colonials in runs (12), doubles (five) and steals (four).
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION:Â Winthrop (9-8) has had a break since splitting a doubleheader vs. Western Carolina on Feb. 25. The Eagles were picked fourth in the Big South preseason poll after winning 30 games and advancing to the conference final a year ago.
Monmouth won four of five games at the Coastal Carolina Invitational last weekend to improve to 9-6 on the season. The Hawks won their second straight MAAC title in 2019 to advance to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.
Rider has lost its first nine games of the season after an 0-5 weekend in Georgia facing Georgia Tech, Georgia State and Kennesaw State. The Broncs went 10-44 (6-14 MAAC) last spring.
ON DECK:Â GW hosts six games at The Vern next week with No. 19 Virginia Tech (Tuesday), Bucknell (Wednesday) and Maryland Eastern Shore (Saturday-Sunday) visiting.
WATCH THIS: Hear from head coach Shane Winkler, Hannah Eslick and Megan Osterhaus ahead of the Buff and Blue Challenge.
Head Coach Shane Winkler, Hannah Eslick and Megan Osterhaus preview the Buff & Blue Challenge. #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/AEF1196Ogr
— GW Softball (@GW_Softball) March 5, 2020
Players Mentioned
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