April 25, 2009

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - With warm and sunny skies overhead, the George Mason softball team took advantage of the conditions by defeating Delaware in both games of their Colonial Athletic Association doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at George Mason Field. Game scores were 3-1 and 10-4.

Mason improved to 2-15 in CAA play and 16-29 overall with the victories, while Delaware, which entered the day in fifth place in the conference standings, dropped to 20-18 and 6-9 in conference play.

Both games featured strong offensive displays by the Patriots, as Mason pounded out 11 hits in each contest. The first game, though, saw all of Mason's scoring come in the third inning. Freshman Rachael Davies led off the scoring with her RBI base hit to right-center field, and a run scoring double by freshman Morgan Davis and an RBI single by junior Becky Anderson gave Mason a 3-0 lead.

Anderson, who pitched a complete game to improve to 8-19 on the season, held the Fightin' Blue Hens in check for the majority of the game as she allowed just four hits. UD's lone run of the game came in the fourth inning, when Michelle Kenney's double down the right field line allowed Kim Ovittore to cross the plate.

That would be it for the Blue Hens though, despite a seventh-inning rally in which they had runners on first and second with just one out. Anderson induced a double-play ball to quash the threat and snap a nine-game winless streak. Amanda Stacevicz (9-9) took the loss for the Blue Hens.

Senior Meghan Hill paced the Patriot offense as she notched a hit in each of her three plate appearances, while Kenney's 2-for-3 game highlighted the UD offense.

After a short break between games, the Mason offense came out firing again but found much more run production from the start, using a nine-run first inning to set the tone of the game early. All nine Patriots had a turn at the plate as Mason shelled UD starter Anne Marie Pagano (11-8), who scattered just two other hits after the end of the opening inning.

Delaware got on the board in the fourth as Quinn Megargel scored on a wild pitch, and facing a 10-1 deficit in the fifth inning, extended the game with two runs. Katie DeSalvo earned an RBI with a groundout that scored Rachel Jones, and Mary Ann Magee singled up the middle to score Amanda Nyisztor. The Blue Hens added their final run in the seventh as Megargel doubled to left field, scoring Nyistor.

Freshman Miranda Cranford picked up the victory as she tossed six innings and allowed seven hits, while Anderson gave up just one hit as she pitched the seventh inning. Senior Alison Bryan and Davies finished the game 2-for-4 to lead Mason, while Nyisztor had a 3-for-3 game for the Blue Hens.

Mason will look to make it a sweep tomorrow afternoon when the teams meet at 12 p.m. for the series finale. Prior to the game, the Patriots will honor their two seniors in Hill and Bryan, as each is playing in her final home game.