After dropping its first game to Saint Louis, softball nabbed three straight wins to close out the series last weekend.
The Colonials’ (25-8, 15-1 A-10) undefeated streak in conference play was snapped in a 7–5 comeback loss to the Billikens (17-25, 10-10 A-10) last Saturday afternoon. GW bounced back in the second game to end the day with a 9–2 victory, before routing the Billikens in a double-header last Sunday with an 8–2 finish to begin the day and a 15–2 win by the run rule in the afternoon.
Graduate student infielder Jenna Cone earned A-10 Player of the Week for her performance, amassing three home runs and 10 RBIs over four games and recorded her second grand slam of the season. Sophomore utility player Maggie Greco secured three RBIs and two runs to nab A-10 Rookie of the Week as well.
Game One:
The Colonials dropped the first match in a 7–5 loss after the Billikens accumulated six runs in their final two at bats.
Senior utility player Alessandra Ponce put the visiting Colonials up early, hitting a sacrifice fly in the first inning followed by a two-run home run in the third to give GW a 4–0 buffer.
Redshirt junior utility player Sierra Lange began a four-run cushion after she singled down the left line. Then, senior utility player Alessandra Ponce hit a home run that scored Lange.
The Billikens plated two runs in the fifth inning and then four more in the sixth inning to edge the Colonials. Junior utility player Allie Herron smashed a two-run homer to tie the game before tacking on two more runs.
Graduate student infielder Amber Lotz and graduate student Jessica Linquist started the seventh inning with a single and walk, but GW was unable to mount a comeback to save their undefeated streak.
Game Two:
The Colonials entered the matchup of the day with renewed vigor, nabbing a 9–2 victory over the Billikens in the afternoon.
After a scoreless first three innings, the Colonials ended the drought with seven runs in the fourth inning. Graduate student utility player Faith Weber slammed her tenth home run of the season, while Cone hit her second grand slam of the season and the fifth of her career.
Cone hit a two-run shot in the sixth to cap GW’s scoring for the day after the Billikens ended their own scoring drought with a run in the fifth. Weber allowed just five hits through her seven-inning showing, striking out six hitters in the process.
Game Three:
The Colonials started Sunday off with a strong 8–2 showing over the Billikens.
The Colonials jumped to an early lead in the third game, scoring four runs in the first inning. The Billikens tallied two runs in the bottom of the frame to remain in contention. Redshirt junior utility player Sierra Lange answered with a solo home run in the next inning, while freshman pitcher Alexa Williams ushered in another run in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly.
Lange smashed another solo home run in the sixth and Williams ran in the final score of the game to seal the victory for the Colonials.
Game Four:
GW completed the Sunday series sweep, trouncing Saint Louis in a 15–2 win in just five innings.
The Colonials put up seven runs in the opening inning. The first six Colonials reached base to shoot out to a 3–0 lead, before graduate student outfielder Olivia Vinyard, Williams, Weber and Greco tacked on four more runs.
The Colonials kept up the pressure in the fourth inning, securing a nine-run lead off a solo homer from Weber. The Billikens responded with two runs at the bottom of the inning before GW posted six more runs in the fifth inning off of a pair of homers from senior infielder Hannah Eslick and a homer from Cone.
Eslick notched her third homer of the season, while Weber went 3-of-3 at the plate and tallied three runs. Weber also pitched a complete game to earn her tenth victory of the season.
The Colonials racked up 23 runs on 25 hits on the day, adding five home runs to their single-season total of 50 to extend the program record after Weber broke it last Saturday.
The Colonials returned home for a four-game slate beginning with a doubleheader against George Mason this Saturday.
