MERION STATION, Pa. - The Saint Joseph's softball team fell to George Washington, 3-2, in the opening game of a doubleheader and 11-5 in game two on Saturday at the SJU Softball Field.
In a pitchers duel that saw offense come to life late, George Washington broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth on a RBI single with the bases loaded by Riley Tejcek with two outs.
The Hawks answered in the bottom of the sixth as freshman Molly Kapala scored from third off a single by classmate Caela Abadie to tie the game at 1-1.
The Colonials regained the lead in the seventh with a pair of runs on two singles to open a 3-1 advantage.
Saint Joseph's plated a run in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Amanda Kulp to score Taryn Grober.
From there, the Hawks loaded the bases with two outs, unfortunately for SJU the Colonials' reliever Faith Weber induced a ground out to end the game.
In the circle, sophomore Ashley Ventura fell to 12-11 on the year as she allowed three runs on six hits, while striking out two over seven innings.
At the plate, Kulp was 2-for-4 for Saint Joseph's as the team collected seven total hits in the opener.
In game two, George Washington jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
Saint Joseph's answered in the bottom half of the inning though with three runs of its own. Jancarla Herrera scored the first Hawk run off a single by Sarah Ostaszewski, while Kaylyn Zierke followed with a bloop single to left that scored Caela Abadie and Ostaszewski to tie the game.
The Colonials regained the lead, 6-3, as they scored three runs with two outs in the second. Priscilla Martinez earned the first RBI as she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Paige Kovalsky followed with a two-run double to right center, with the Hawks' relay catching Martinez at the plate for the final out of the inning.
Elena Shelepak led off the third with a solo home run, while Morgan Rinehart came around to score with two outs on a misplayed ball by the Hawks to make it 8-3.
Saint Joseph's got a run back in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by Herrera that scored Taryn Grober. However, the Hawks would strand three runners as the Colonials got three straight outs with the bases loaded to keep an 8-4 lead.
George Washington added three more runs in the sixth to open and 11-4 lead.
The Hawks rallied with a run in the seventh, but that would be all they'd get as the Colonials held on for the win.
The two teams cap their three-game series at noon on Sunday, with Saint Joseph's honoring their five seniors with a ceremony prior to first pitch.
