SOFTBALL (11-9) VS Rhode Island (8-10)

WHEN:  12 p.m. Saturday, March 26, 2016

2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26, 2016

12 p.m. Sunday, March 27, 2016

WHERE: Fairfax,Va.

LIVE STATS: GoMason.com

Fairfax, Va. – George Mason University's softball team will look to continue their recent string of success as the Patriots host the University of Rhode Island in the team's first Atlantic 10 conference series of the season.

Mason has won three straight games behind consistent hitting and dominant pitching. Standouts at the plate for the Patriots this season include sophomore shortstop Liz Seymour, who hit Mason's first homerun of the season Wednesday versus Georgetown, junior third baseman McKenzie Jones and senior outfielder's Casey Price and Julia Czarnecki.

Jones leads Mason with a .400 batting average (minimum 10 games played), Price leads the team with 21 RBI's, Czarnecki leads the Patriots with 16 runs and Seymour leads the team in homeruns with one, and hits with 23. The top of the order has been lethal for the Patriots, as Price and Jones have on base percentages of .479 and .449, respectively, which sets up Seymour, who has a slugging percentage of .500, to drive them.

The Mason pitching staff has a combined 2.82 ERA and their performances have taken pressure off of the Patriot's offense. Freshman pitcher Marina Vitalich leads the way with a 6-5 record, 2.36 ERA and 50 strikeouts. Senior pitcher Sarah Kleinfelter and freshman pitcher Gabriella Lopez are also making life difficult for opposing batters. Kleinfelter even has two saves out of her four relief appearances.

The Patriots will look to start Atlantic 10 conference play strong before taking the road against Towson Wednesday, in their final non-conference tilt of the regular season.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

URI: Rhode Island is coming off of a win yesterday against Harvard, 4-2. Rhody had an up and down Liberty Softball Classic going 2-3, while giving up a combined 27 runs in five contests. The Rams' best players at the plate are Marylynn Muldowney, Kylie Shivery and Ali Summers. Muldowney leads the team in batting average with a .342 mark while Shivery leads the team with four homeruns, 18 hits and 19 RBI's. Summers leads the team in runs with 14 and is third on the team with a .510 slugging percentage. URI's pitchers sport a 4.36 combined ERA and have given up eight homeruns on the year. Mason should take a patient approach at the plate as the Rams have walked 70 batters this season as opposed to 59 strikeouts.