April 15, 2005

Fairfax, Va.--George Mason University's softball team (16-20, 5-4 CAA) will host James Madison (17-21, 0-6) in a Colonial Athletic Association three-game series this weekend at George Mason Field, with a double-header on April 16 (12 p.m.) and a single game the following day (12 p.m.).

The Patriots have won three of their last five games, which includes a 1-0 victory over league-leading Towson on April 9. In Mason's win, freshman Arielle Weinkofsky (Oakhurst, N.J.) pitched a perfect game for six innings and singled home the game-winning run in the top of the fifth inning, which helped her earn CAA Rookie of the Week honors (April 11).

Mason took a break from conference action on April 12 and went on to sweep La Salle in Philadelphia by scores of 6-4 and 13-3. The last time Mason competed at George Mason Field was on April 3 when the Patriots split a double-header with Hofstra, which included a 12-11 win.

Senior shortstop Stacy James (Leesburg, Va.) leads the team with a .305 batting average and 29 hits, while sophomore pitcher Megan Farrell (Medford, N.J.) leads the Patriots on the mound with a 3.87 ERA.

The Dukes enter the weekend's match-ups coming off of a 7-6 extra inning victory in their first game against St. Francis in Harrisonburg, but then dropped the second contest by a score of 5-3. Mason will face St. Francis in Fairfax on April 19. Junior Briana Carrera and senior Liz George lead JMU from both the circle and the plate, Carrera has a team-high .325 batting average and holds a 1.96 ERA with a team best 67 strikeouts. George is just behind Carrera with a .308 average and leads the team with a 1.92 ERA. The duo is tied for the team lead with seven wins each.