Softball (22-10, 8-1 Atlantic 10) swept Dayton (15-12, 5-4 A-10) in a three-game series at home over the weekend and stands at first place in the A-10.

The Revolutionaries won the first game of a Saturday doubleheader 2-0 and bested the Flyers 4-1 in the second. The Revs managed a seventh-inning rally in the final game Sunday, with freshman infielder Emi Todoroki walking it off with an RBI double to win 5-4 after trailing 4-0 earlier in the match. 

After finishing last year seventh in A-10 standings with an 11-14 conference record, the Revs have catapulted to the top of the conference and are the only team with just one conference loss, which came in a March 22 game against Massachusetts. After two years with losing A-10 records, their success this year is a return to standards for GW softball, who totaled just four conference losses combined in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Dayton, who entered this year as back-to-back reigning A-10 champions, were held to only one hit in the first game of the series as sophomore pitcher Cece Smith dominated her seven innings. The Revs’ offense was rolling, however, including graduate student catcher Allison Heffley, who homered in the team’s first at bat. 

Heffley said winning a series against a top team like Dayton is a positive sign for the team. 

“They’re a good team and just knowing that we’re able to band together and figure out a way, no matter what the runs on the board and about scoring them, it’s really huge,” Heffley said after the doubleheader. 

Both teams’ offenses sparked in the first inning of the first Saturday game, with the Flyers’ senior outfielder Emma Schutter stealing home to mark their first run and the Revs bringing in three, including Heffley and junior outfielder Ashley Corpuz. Though the Flyers held off the scoreboard for the final six innings, Corpuz added one more GW run in the sixth to bring the score to 4-1.

Smith pitched the final 1.2 innings of this game, not allowing any Flyers on base. After Saturday’s games, she has pitched 71.1 innings this season, including three complete games. Smith said the team relies heavily on positive energy to catalyze good play.

“Momentum is a big part of our game, and I feel like even just a little, ‘Hey, that was a great play, great pitch’ is a way to build momentum,” Smith said.

Dayton jumped out to a 4-0 lead in Sunday’s game as the Flyers managed five hits in the fourth inning, three of which came off Smith. The Revs answered back as Corpuz knocked a home run over the center field wall to bring in three runners in the fifth.

Entering the seventh down 4-3, Corpuz homered yet again, tying the game up at four apiece. After graduate student infielder Madi Mays doubled to left center, Todoroki batted in a pinch runner with a double that bounced off the left-center wall to cement the sweep. After junior infielder Daniella Lew crossed home plate, the team rushed to the infield to swarm Todoroki and celebrate her heroics. 

The Revs hold a 13-2 record at home this season. Head Coach Chrissy Schoonmaker said playing at home on the Mount Vernon Campus is huge with the fans and crowd they attract, especially on the weekends. With seven more games in the season at home, against Fordham, Georgetown and Rhode Island, they want to ensure their home field is a difficult place for their opponents to play at. 

“There’s something special about wearing GW on your chest, and we certainly take pride in protecting home territory,” Schoonmaker said. “We know our field, we know our surroundings, but I think for us, it’s just about defending our turf.” 

Three players earned various A-10 honors for their performances in March. Heffley was named A-10 Player of the Week on March 17 following a set of games where she hit more home runs than at bats without hits, going 7-8 with two homers and a .933 on base percentage. Corpuz was honored with the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and sophomore pitcher Sophia Torreso claimed her second A-10 Pitcher of the Week on March 10, winning her first on March 3.

Both Heffley and Corpuz are tied for 94th of the top 100 Division I players in batting, with an average of .420. 

Schoonmaker said having multiple strong hitters in the lineup is key for the team to bat in runners

“[Allison] and Ashley, individually, are having outstanding seasons,” Schoonmaker said. “They watch a lot of film, they take extra reps, they put in the work in the weight room, and I think you’re seeing the fruits of their labor, but they’re both students of the game, and it certainly is a joy to coach them.”

The first win against Dayton marked Schoonmaker’s 100th win as a head coach, which she said is a credit to the “remarkable” players she’s had on her teams.

“It’s a privilege of my career to be their head coach and to lead these young women,” Schoonmaker said. “These are remarkable young student-athletes, and I’ve never pitched a ball here, made an out here, scored a run here and these guys have, so this is a testament to the awesome student-athletes that I get to lead.”

The Revs will continue their A-10 conference play in a doubleheader against George Mason on April 2 at 2 and 4:30 p.m.