April 9, 2008

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason softball team began a five-game road trip by splitting a doubleheader at Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday afternoon. In a manner similar to the two teams' matchup in Fairfax nearly a month ago, the Mountaineers narrowly took game one, 9-8, in eight innings before the Patriots bounced back with a resounding 4-0 victory.

In the opening game, Mason pounded out 20 hits, including a sparkling 5-for-5, five-RBI game from sophomore Ciera Jones, but the Mount notched the win on a walk-off RBI single by Courtney Zingle in the bottom of the eighth inning. Jamie Fowler picked up the win, while sophomore Becky Anderson was tagged with the loss.

Mason jumped out to an early four-run lead with a pair of scores in the first and second innings, including a scoreboard-opening two-run home run by Jones. However, Mount St. Mary's took its first lead of the day in the third, piling on six runs. The Patriots leveled the ledger a half-inning later, as senior Lesley Hassen's single up the middle scored two runs.

The Mount responded in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring two runs on a Zingle single. In the top of the seventh, Mason was down 8-6 with one out, but Jones connected on a double through the right side with the bases loaded, tying the game. As the Mountaineers had no answer in the bottom of the inning, the game was headed to extra innings.

Using international tiebreaker rules, both teams began the eighth with a runner on second base. Mason was unable to convert the run though, while Zingle's two-out base hit ended the game and gave Mount St. Mary's the victory.

Anderson would start the second game and respond with a one-hit performance to shut out the Mountaineers. Mason was held hitless through four innings, but sophomore Ashli Breau broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff double in the fifth. Freshman Kara Weiner was inserted for Breau as a pinch runner and promptly scored Mason's first run. Anderson would help her own cause by giving Mason a 2-0 lead, as she doubled and scored on a RBI sacrifice fly by junior Alison Bryan. The Patriots added two more runs in the sixth inning on RBI doubles by Breau and senior Kristen Dickel.

Mount St. Mary's lone hit came in the second inning, when Nicole Reeder doubled down the left field line. Reeder was one of just two baserunners allowed by Anderson in the game.

The Patriots will continue their road swing this weekend with a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series at UNC Wilmington.