Spartanburg, S.C. - The George Mason softball team split the second day of the USC Upstate tournament. They defeated Hampton in a 10-2 effort but lost to USC Upstate for the second time in the tournament by a score of 7-1. Mason now owns a record of 1-2 in the early part of the season.

In their first game of the day, Mason would score three runs in the second inning off of a Katie Rynex three-run home run. That was her second home run in as many days and it would be all the offense the team needed as they dropped Hampton by a final score of 10-2. Hampton would answer back with two runs in the third inning but was held scoreless for the rest of the game.

Rynex added two runs to the lead in the fifth inning when she hit her second home run of the game. Reagan Doiron also picked up an RBI off of a single in the inning.

Freshman Stephanie Maher got the start for Mason and recorded her first win of the season pitching 3.0 innings giving up two unearned runs, one hit, two walks, while striking out three batters. Kelsey Byrd came in to finish the game pitching three innings of one-hit ball.

Rynex finished the game 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double, and five RBI's. Alyssa See helped the team with a 3-for-4 effort, stealing three bases and also scoring a run. Megan Blank added two runs scored going 1-for-2 and Doiron finished 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored as well.

The outcome of the second game was not as fortune as the Patriots fell to USC Upstate by a score of 7-1. Mason would take a 1-0 lead in the first inning off of a single from Rachael Davies that drove in Alyssa See but USC Upstate would counter with seven unanswered runs. Mason found themselves down 1-2 after a first inning two-run home run by USC Upstate player Ericka Harris, and then down 1-3 after the second. A chance for a comeback was all but taken away after USC Upstate put up three runs in the fifth inning making the score 6-1. They added another run in the sixth to bring the score to 7-1.

Amanda Buffington got the start in this game for the Patriots and pitched 4.1 innings, giving up eight hits, five runs (all earned), two walks and did not record a strikeout. She received the loss and fell to 0-1 on the year. The hero from game one did not have the same magic in the pitching circle as Rynex would give up two runs (one earned) in 1.2 innings on two hits, a walk and a wild pitch.

Mason had just four hits on USC Upstate pitcher, Hannah Alexander, who tossed a seven inning complete game. She gave up one unearned run, walked two and struck out one. She is now 3-0 on the year.

Davies gave the Patriots their only RBI and finished 1-for-3 and Stephanie Strother , Emily Lafferty and Kaila Conlon made up the remaining three hits.

Mason is now 1-2 in the tournament and will look to even their record when the go up against Hampton at 11 a.m. on Sunday, February 20.