The George Mason softball team will host two A-10 opponents this weekend, Dayton and Saint Louis. The Patriots will play two games against each opponent, playing Dayton back-to-back on Friday and Saturday followed by playing Saint Louis in a doubleheader on Sunday. The Patriots will honor its four seniors for senior day before the Saturday game against Dayton.
Softball vs. Dayton
Records: Mason (21-16, 5-5) Dayton (20-26, 4-8)
When: Friday-Saturday, April 25-26
Where: Fairfax, Virginia
Series Record: Dayton leads 1-0
Live Stats: Click here
Live Audio: Click here
The Patriots take on Dayton again on Saturday, April 26 for senior day. Anna Blessing, Stephanie Maher, Lauren McColgan, and Tiffany Webb will each be recognized in a pre-game ceremony for their accomplishments while playing for the green and gold.
George Mason would also like to welcome back the softball alumni for game two against Dayton.
News and Notes:
The Patriots will take on Dayton for the first time as a conference opponent and only the second time in program history. Game one is set to begin at 2:00 p.m. on Friday April 25 with game two following the next day on Saturday beginning at 12:00 p.m.
Mason is coming off of a dominating performance against UMES on Wednesday April 23, in which they swept the Hawks in two straight shutouts while scoring 23 total runs on the day. Overall, the Green and Gold are entering this series on a six game winning streak with two wins each over Coppin State and A-10 opponent Rhode Island in addition to the wins over UMES.
The Patriots are currently leading the A-10 in batting with an impressive .300 batting average as a team. Tiffany Webb continues her hot hitting with her team best .416 batting average, which is second in the conference. Brooke Blankenship has also been hitting well increasing her batting average to .395 on the year following her performance against UMES, in which she went a combined four for seven with three RBI on the day. Blankenship is second in the conference in RBI with 41.
Anna Blessing comes into this game with a 2.21 era, good for second in the conference to go along with her team-best 54 strikeouts. The pitching staff as a whole has been playing well all season with an impressive 2.83 era, the best mark in the Atlantic 10.
The Flyers come into this series after splitting a double header with Youngstown State. Dayton is third in the conference in batting with a .286 batting average as a team. The Flyers are lead on offense by Alysha Isaacson who leads her team and the conference with a .419 batting average to go along with four home runs and 31 RBI. Tiffany Ricks is also having an impressive season for the Flyers with her .371 batting average, nine home runs, and 36 RBI.
Dayton's pitching staff is lead by Kayla English who holds a 12-13 record with a 5.37 era and 109 strikeouts. Emily Froment posts a team best 4.47 era for the Flyers.
Softball vs. Saint Louis (DH)
Records: Mason (21-16, 5-5) Saint Louis (21-19, 6-5)
When: Sunday April 26, 12:00 p.m.
Where: Fairfax, Virginia
Live Stats: Click here
Live Audio: Click here
Notes:
The Patriots and the Billikens will meet for the first time in their history on Sunday. Saint Louis come into this game following a two game series with fellow A-10 opponent George Washington on Friday and Saturday. The Billikens are currently sitting in fourth place in the conference; only a half a game ahead of the Patriots.
Lindsay Friedman leads the Rhode Island offense with a team-best .336 batting average with nine home runs and 30 RBI. Kelsey Biggs is having an impressive season as well with a .305 batting average with 17 RBI.
Brianna Lore leads the Billiken pitching staff with a 17-11 record, the most wins in the conference, and a 2.70 era and 116 strikeouts. As a whole, the Saint Louis pitching staff has a 3.43 era.
