WHO: Softball at Towson
WHERE: Towson, Md.
FINAL SCORE: Towson 8, Mason 0
KEY PLAYERS: Breanna Boyd 1-3; Casey Price 2-3
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
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4th
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5th
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6th
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7th
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R
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H
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E
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George Mason (13-11) (2-1)
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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X
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0
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3
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1
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Towson (22-6)
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0
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0
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0
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4
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3
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1
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X
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8
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9
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1
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WHO: Softball at Towson
WHERE: Towson, Md.
FINAL SCORE: Mason 7, Towson 0
KEY PLAYERS: Jess Middleton 1-4, 1R, 2RBI, Brooke Sullivan, 1-2, 1R, 2RBI, 2BB, Samantha Zaccari, 2-4, 2R, 1RBI, Sarah Kleinfelter, 3IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K, Marina Vitalich, W (8-5) 4IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 8K
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
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4th
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5th
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6th
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7th
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R
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H
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E
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George Mason (14-11, 2-1 A-10)
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1
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0
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2
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4
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0
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0
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0
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7
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11
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0
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Towson (22-7, 2-1 CAA)
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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3
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Towson, Md. – Senior pitcher Sarah Kleinfelter and freshman pitcher Marina Vitalich combined to throw a perfect game in the second contest of a doubleheader against Towson on Wednesday.
Mason split the doubleheader after falling 8-0 (6) in game one before winning game two 7-0 behind outstanding efforts by Kleinfelter, Vitalich and the entire Mason offense.
It was a pitcher's dual to begin game one as both freshman pitcher Gabriella Lopez and Towson pitcher Blakely Thrower mowed down opposing batters through the first three innings of the game. With one out in the third, Mason did have an opportunity with runners on second and third but the Patriots were unable to convert.
Things unraveled for Mason in the fourth inning and after a leadoff single followed by two pop outs, back to back RBI singles put the Tigers up 2-0. Towson's very next batter Kaylen Minnatee hit a two run homerun and after a walk, Mason replaced Lopez with Kleinfelter.
Towson would go on to hit a three run homerun in the bottom of the fifth inning before scoring a final run in the 6th, which ended game one prematurely.
Mason's bats would explode in game two, as the team started the scoring early with a first inning run on an RBI groundout by redshirt freshman third baseman Jess Middleton. Price began the game with a leadoff single and would come around to score her 14th run of the season.
Mason would strike again in the third, plating two runs which gave them a 3-0 lead. After Samantha Zaccari reached on an error by the Towson right fielder, Middleton cranked an RBI double in the gap. Despite a pop out for out number one, freshman catcher Hayley Hinton hit a single and Middleton would come around to score when the Tiger's centerfielder misplayed the ball.
The Patriots would add to their lead in the fourth thanks to back to back doubles by sophomore catcher Brooke Sullivan and Zaccari. Senior outfielder Julia Czarnecki started things off for Mason with a leadoff single, Price would follow with a double and both Patriots would score on the double, hit by Sullivan.
Zaccari would end up scoring on another RBI double by Katherine Marsh, although the inning would end as Marsh was tagged out when she couldn't successfully remain on second base after her slide narrowly avoided the second baseman's initial tag. The Patriots would finish the game with five doubles.
While Mason's offense was firing on all cylinders at the plate, Kleinfelter was even more impressive in the circle. The senior was flawless in her three innings of work, eviscerating Towson batters left and right. Kleinfelter's quick innings allowed the Mason batters to remain in a hitting rhythm, as the team earned 10 hits in support of the Warrenton, Va. native.
“Coming off the game before we just wanted to keep our team in the game so I went out there to throw strikes,” Kleinfelter said. “We played really good defense the first three innings when I was in there so I was pleased.”
After the four run fourth, Kleinfelter gave way to freshman pitcher Marina Vitalich who was equally as dominant in her four innings of work. The Tiger's had no answer for Vitalich as the freshman would go on to strike out eight batters.
“I kind of had an idea of what was going on when Sarah was in there,” Vitalich said. “In the back of my mind I was thinking about [the perfect game] and when I went out there I just stayed focused, kept it simple and went one pitch at a time.”
Vitalich at times would fall behind batters in the count 2-0 and even 3-0 but would respond with aplomb to keep the perfect game alive. The final inning, Vitalich struck out the first two batters, who went down swinging, before inducing a game ending groundout to give her and Kleinfelter the perfect game to share.
The Patriots once again proved they would not back down from a fight, coming out in game two extremely motivated and hungry for a victory. Despite the positive vibes that the perfect game provided, this is the second doubleheader in a row where Mason has come out flat in game one. If the Patriots are to compete for an Atlantic 10 title, eliminating slow starts must be a priority going forward.
STAT BREAKDOWN
-In game one, the three pitchers featured only combined for two strikeouts, one for each team.
-This is Mason's second no-hitter of the season, and the first time in Coach Joe Verbanic's tenure that two no-hitters have occurred in the same season.
-Samantha Zaccari continues her torrid pace at the plate, over the past three wins for Mason Zaccari has batted 6-8, 5R, 4RBI.
POST-GAME QUOTES
“It's one of the reasons why you play midweek doubleheaders, to gain experience.” Verbanic said. “We came out and played a heck of a second ball game, pitchers were flat out dominant, we swung the bat well and we played solid defense whereas in the first game, we let that one get away from us.”
NEXT ON THE DIAMOND
Mason will face the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass. for three games this weekend. Game one of the Saturday doubleheader will begin at 12 p.m.
