LAKEWOOD, NJ- After having not taken the field since March 6th, the Georgian Court University softball team did not skip a beat in Game One of Wednesday's home twin-bill, defeating Millersville University, 10-2, in six innings. The Lions, on this St. Patrick's Day, ended up with a pot of coal in Game Two, in an uninspiring 9-1, five-inning loss to the Marauders.
In Game One, the Marauders (6-7) jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first off GCU starter, Diana Sansevera (6-1). SS Lindsay Hosier (Sr.-Glen Mills, PA) began the contest with a base hit to right-center. An Ally Homa (So.-Newtown Square, PA) groundout advanced Hosier to second base. She then proceeded to third on a Laura DeVoe (Fr.-Felton, PA) double to right in front of a sprawling Jen Tartaglia. C Kelly Fitzgerald (So.-Upper Darby, PA) then proceeded to bring in both runners with a single up the middle.
Millersville's Courtney Eckman (Jr.-Lancaster, PA) sat down the first six Lions' hitters in a row before running into trouble in the bottom of the third. 3B Courtney Cuevas led off the frame with a walk before advancing to third on a Donnie Brossoie two-bagger down the right-field line. CF Jess Comiskey plated Cuevas with a sacrifice fly to center. SS Sammie Jo Garofalo then brought in Brossoie with a single to left, tying the score at two-all.
The Lions (10-3) took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth when DP Brooke Hull launched her first home run of the year, a blast to left, to start the stanza. GCU then chased Eckman after she permitted a Tartaglia single and a second bases-on-balls to Cuevas.
Georgian Court added four insurance runs off Millersville reliever Alicia Hughes (Fr.-Quakertown, PA), courtesy of a ribbie single from Hull and a two-run double off the bat of Tartaglia. The Georgian Court rightfielder then scored on a two-base throwing error by 3B Jamie Motsko (Fr.-Breinigsville, PA).
Hull ended the opening contest in the sixth inning when she launched her second dinger of the game, a three-run shot to left-center off Lisa Rich (Fr.-Titusvlle, NJ). The Lions' clean-up hitter went 3-for-4 at the dish with three runs scored and five RBI.
Sansevera permitted just one hit after the first innning. The ace yielded a walk and struck out five en route to the victory.
GCU got off to a quick start in the nightcap, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first on Rachel Ruch's fourth home run of the season. Millersville evened the score at 1-1 in the top of third on a RBI single by winning pitcher Sarah Signore (Jr.-Waynesboro, PA), bringing home LF Jill Golomboski (Sr.-Lewisburg, PA), who had reached on an infield hit.
The Marauders (7-7) broke the game open with a five-spot in the fourth. Losing pitcher, Lyndsay PeQueen (3-2), easily retired the first two hitters of the frame before walking two straight and yielding back-to-back-to-back jacks to Golomboski (3-run), Homa (solo) and Hosier (solo).
Georgian Court (10-4) self-destructed in the fifth and final inning, permitting three runs on two hits and three errors.
