SPARTANBURG, SC – The George Mason softball team fell to Furman and Radford in the final games of the USC Upstate Tournament. Furman and Radford won with scores of 13-2 and 12-4, respectively. Brooke Blankenship earned All-Tournament honors after batting .500 with four runs and five RBI.
Game 1
Furman started the first game on fire, hitting two homeruns to score five runs in the first inning. The Patriots were able to get one run back in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a Brooke Blankenship RBI single to score Julia Czarnecki.
However, the Paladins increased their lead with a four-run second inning, thanks in part to another homerun. Mason (0-9) scored another run in the fifth and final inning after a Katie Kitts double and a Mary O'Connor RBI single. Furman (3-0) eventually went on to win the game with a final score of 13-2.
Casey Herring got the start for the Patriots and Sarah Kleinfelter also pitched in relief. Lindsey Bert got the start for Furman and gave up just two earned runs in five innings. Natalie Clemmons led the Paladins with four hits, six RBI, and three runs.
Game 2
Radford started off the second game with two runs in the first inning after Whitney Davis hit a two-run homerun. Mason was able to get the lead down to just one after a Brooke Sullivan RBI double and a Czarnecki RBI single. The double was Sullivan's first career at bat as a Patriot.
The Patriots tied the game at four in the fourth inning after Christina Gabriele picked up an RBI. However, Radford added four more runs in the fifth inning and eventually won the game in the sixth.
Gabriele got the start on the mound for the Patriots and pitched 4.2 innings before Herring pitched in relief.
Davis led the way for Radford after hitting two homeruns and picking up five RBI. Brittany Wratchford picked up the win for Radford after pitching a scoreless 2.2 innings.
All-Tournament Team
Upstate – Cheyenne Griffin (co-MVP), Dana Landers, Lexi Shubert, Shellie Robinson
Furman – Natalie Clemmons (co-MVP), Alex Sappington, Taylor Jenkins
George Mason – Brooke Blankenship
Radford – Whitney Davis
Western Carolina – Victoria Mariscal
