WHO: Softball vs. Dayton (Game 1)
WHERE: George Mason Softball Complex, Fairfax, Va.
FINAL SCORE: Dayton 1, Mason 0
KEY PLAYERS: Marina Vitalich – 3.0 IP, 4 strike-outs, 0 hits allowed, 0 runs allowed

WHO: Softball vs. Dayton (Game 2)
WHERE: George Mason Softball Complex, Fairfax, Va.
FINAL SCORE:  Dayton 6, Mason 2
KEY PLAYERS: McKenzie Jones – 2-3, 1 run; Julia Czarnecki – 1-3, 1 run

Fairfax, Va. – George Mason University's softball team was one out away from its second win against Dayton this weekend, but the Flyers demonstrated steel nerves late on and orchestrated an impressive seventh-inning comeback to sweep the Patriots in Sunday's Atlantic 10 Conference doubleheader.

Defensive performances were the highlights for Mason early in the first game as the Patriots stranded five Flyers on base in the first three innings to keep Dayton scoreless despite giving up six hits.

Senior pitcher Sarah Kleinfelter kept the plates clean with a three-up-three-down inning in the top of the fourth while in the bottom of the inning junior second baseman McKenzie Jones and sophomore shortstop Liz Seymour recorded back-to-back singles to ruin Gabrielle Snyder's no-hitter. The two then got into scoring position but could not break the deadlock.

Freshman Marina Vitalich replaced Kleinfelter in the top of the fifth with runners on second and third bases and could do nothing when Krista Gustafson had a sacrifice fly to score Kathryn Hess from third base for the lead, 1-0. This turned out to be winner due to impressive pitching by both teams.

Vitalich started the second game with a three-up-three-down inning before Jones capitalized on a third-base error to give Mason the lead in the bottom of the first. The San Pedro, Calif. native continued torturing Dayton's batters, recording three additional clean innings until Kennedy Haynes' walk in the top of the fifth snapped Vitalich's 14.2-inning streak without base runs allowed, the first seven of which were from the reliever position in Saturday's 13-inning win.

Mason had a wonderful opportunity to increase its lead with the bases loaded and Seymour due up for the Patriots. The sophomore did what she does so well, blasted one through the middle, giving the speedy Czarnecki plenty of time to cross home plate, 2-0.

Dayton provided an immediate response through Jaclyn Kweder and Snyder, who led the sixth inning off with singles to the outfield. The two eventually got into scoring position and the former made the most of a wild pitch to get the Flyers on the board, 2-1.

Following a three-up-three-down inning for Snyder, Dayton's coaching staff made a variety of substitutions to save the game. One of the pinch hitters, Madi Maloof, singled to left center to score pinch runner Kirsten Bartlett, who tied the game at 2-2 with two outs. The Flyers' pitchers Manda Cash and Snyder demonstrated skill at bat as well and delivered an RBI apiece before eventually crossing home plate to give Dayton a 5-2 lead. Kleinfelter returned to the circle to close the game, but Dayton managed one more run through Hannah De Salvo before Katie Ryan struck out for the final out of the inning. Snyder finished the game with another clean inning for Dayton's second win of the day.

STAT BREAKDOWN

-Dayton batted twice as efficiently as Mason over the course of the day. The Flyers hit .273 (15-55), while the Patriots managed 7 hits on 51 at bats, .137.

-After an errorless first game, the teams recorded two errors apiece in the second game. This resulted in two unearned runs, both of them in favor of Mason.

-Cash pitched a complete game for the Flyers in the first game and struck out 8 batters, while Kleinfelter and Vitalich combined for five strike-outs. Vitalich started the second game strong and struck out six more before the final inning, while Dayton's trio in the circle had two strike outs, both by Snyder.

NEXT ON THE DIAMOND

The Patriots continue conference action in midweek, when they host George Washington for a Revolutionary Rivalry doubleheader.