April 20, 2003
Box Score
FAIRFAX, VA...George Mason's softball team lost to Hofstra, 7-1, Sunday afternoon, as Pride pitcher Alexis Alcantara threw a three-hitter and teammates Heather Brousseau and Tara Ulrich each hit a home run.
Hofstra, which swept the three-game Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) series, improves to 24-14 overall and 8-1 in league play, while Mason is now 19-18 overall and 4-5 in the CAA.
Alcantara, who finished with five strikeouts and one earned run allowed, retired the first 14 batters she faced before Amanda Ayers legged out an infield-single to shortstop with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ayers also scored the Patriots lone run when she crossed home plate in the bottom of the seventh on a bases-loaded groundout from Jen Clawson.
Hofstra jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first when Brousseau, who was hit by a pitch to start the game and advanced to third on successive sacrifice bunts, scored on a single from Amanda Hallaway. Ulrich, the Pride's next batter, followed with a two-run homer to left field that knocked Mason starting pitcher Rene Leveque out of the game.
Leveque, who was replaced by Dianna Austin, took the loss after working just .2 innings and giving up two hits and three earned runs. Austin closed out the game by allowing seven hits and four runs, three earned. She also had two strikeouts and six walks.
The Pride scored once more in the fifth, as Stefanie Kenney hit a bases-loaded single back to the pitcher, and tacked on three more in the seventh. Brousseau started Hofstra's final at-bat with a leadoff home run, Ulrich later added an RBI-single and the final run came on an error at home as the Patriots attempted to get a force out at the plate.
Mason, after putting runners on first and second in both the fifth and sixth innings, finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh. Back-to-back walks to Ayers and Kathy Hrycyna and a single from Austin loaded the bases with one out before Clawson hit her groundball to the right side of the infield.
George Mason makes a non-conference visit to La Salle Wednesday for a doubleheader, first pitch is at 2:30 p.m., before hosting Delaware this weekend in a three-game CAA series. The Patriots will use Sunday's game against the Blue Hens as their Senior Day.
