The George Mason softball team wins both games today at the Cherry Blossom Classic. The wins take Mason to 3-1 in the tournament so far. The Patriots first beat Akron in a thriller, 13-7 and then beat Binghamton 6-1. The Green and Gold move to 7-11 on the season.
Game 1:
Christina Gabriele got the start for the Patriots in the first game. Gabriele picked up the win after pitching two innings for Mason. Sarah Kleinfelter came in for relief in the third inning and allowed just two earned runs on six hits.
Mason started out on fire, scoring five runs in the first inning. After Julia Czarnecki and Tiffany Webb got on base, Brooke Blankenship singled up the middle to score a run. Later in the inning, Lauren McColgan picked up one of her five hits in the game to score another Mason run. Eventually, McColgan would come around the bases to score and give the Patriots a 5-0 lead after the first inning.
The third inning was more of the same for the Patriots. McColgan and Angela Maioran got on base and were brought home on a Webb single to right center. After another run, the Patriots scored three total runs in the third inning.
After giving up five runs in the third, the Patriots scored four more runs in the fifth inning and one more run in the sixth to win the game 13-7. Lauren McColgan finished the game going a perfect five for five with three RBI to lead the Patriots. Blankenship, Webb, and Mary O'Connor also had a multi-hit game.
Sara Pearson picked up the loss for the Zips, giving up eight earned runs in 2.2 innings pitched. Jessica Schneider led Akron on offense by hitting a grand slam in the third inning to give her four RBI.
Game 2:
Anna Blessing got the start for the Patriots and pitched a complete game. Blessing picked up her first win of the season, finishing with zero earned runs and eight strike outs.
After leading 2-1 going into the fifth inning, the Patriots added three more runs to secure the win. After Casey Price reached base on a single, Cori Prince eventually singled to bring Price inAngela Maioran doubled to right center just after that pick up another RBI. Julia Czarnecki then singled through the left side to bring in Maioran to take the score to 5-1. The Patriots ended up scoring one more run in the sixth inning to win the game 6-1.
The Patriots went scoreless for the first six innings, but they mounted a comeback in the seventh. After a single from Tiffany Webb, and a double from Brooke Blankenship, Casey Price singled through the left side to bring in a run. Lindsay Merriken then doubled, bringing in Blankenship and Price to take the score to 6-3. However, the Raiders stopped the comeback bid and won the game after that.
Shelby Donhauser picked up the loss for the Bearcats, pitching 4.2 innings and giving up four earned runs. Jessica Bump picked up the lone RBI for Binghamton in the game.
Up Next:
The Patriots continue the Cherry Blossom Classic tomorrow, March 16. They will take on Colgate at 10:00 a.m.
