WHO: Softball vs Saint Joseph's 

WHERE: Philadelphia, Pa.
FINAL SCORE: Mason 1, Saint Joseph's 0
KEY PLAYERS: Jess Middleton, 1-3, 1HR, 1R, 1RBI, Sarah Kleinfelter, W (5-7), 4.2IP, 0R, 2H, 1K, Marina Vitalich S (3) 2.1IP, 1H, 0R, 3K

WHO: Softball vs Saint Joseph's
WHERE: Philadelphia, Pa.
FINAL SCORE:  Mason 3, Saint Joseph's 2
KEY PLAYERS: Liz Seymour 2-4, 2RBI, Julia Czarnecki 3-3, 1R, Marina Vitalich, W (11-7), CG, 6H, 1ER, 12K

Philadelphia, Pa. – Down one run with two runners on and two outs in the top of the seventh inning, sophomore Liz Seymour stepped up to the plate. One pitch later, Mason led 3-2 and were on their way to a massive doubleheader sweep against Saint Joseph's.

In game one after a quiet first inning, Mason started the scoring with a bang in the top of the second thanks to a leadoff home run by redshirt freshman third baseman Jess Middleton. The homer was Middleton's third of the season and was one of four total hits the Patriots earned in game one.

Senior pitcher Sarah Kleinfelter kept the opposing batters at bay, only allowing two hits during her 4.2 innings of work. Things would get interesting in the bottom of the fifth however, after an error and walk put two Hawks' runners on base with two outs recorded in the inning.

Freshman pitcher Marina Vitalich was then inserted for Kleinfelter and induced a dribbler that just stayed fair. Sophomore catcher Brooke Sullivan quickly pounced on the ball and threw to first, ending the threat.

In the top of the seventh, Mason had an opportunity to add to their lead and put a few insurance runs on the board. Sullivan led off the inning with a single and after junior designated player Heather Ferguson drew a walk, the Patriots were in business with two on and no out.

Two batters and two outs later, senior right-fielder Julia Czarnecki earned a walk but senior center-fielder Casey Price grounded out to first, ending the inning. Vitalich ended up not needing any extra runs as the freshman closed the game for the Patriots, producing her third save of the season in the process.

For the second consecutive game, the Patriots would strike first in the second inning. With two outs and Sullivan on third base, senior right-fielder Sarah Solano hit a chopper to the shortstop who hurled the ball to first a millisecond late, as Sullivan crossed home plate.

In the fourth, Vitalich found herself in a jam after allowing the first two Saint Joe's batters to reach base. Vitalich calmly went to work and struck out the last three batters of the inning to leave Mason unscathed.

Vitalich finished the game with 12 strikeouts including a stretch of five straight from the fourth to the fifth inning.

The game was moving briskly as both Vitalich and Saint Joe's pitcher commanded the strike zone, with Mason's run in the second being the only difference until the bottom of the sixth. The Hawks' second batter of the inning hit a one out home-run just over the left field fence leveling the score at one apiece.

With two outs, Saint Joseph's submitted a pinch hitter who singled to center-field before the Hawks' hit a double down the left-field line putting runners on second and third. After a passed ball allowed a Hawks' run to come up, Mason finished the inning needing at least one run in the top of the seventh to keep the game alive.

They got two.

With one out in the seventh, Czarnecki doubled down the left-field line putting the tying run in scoring position. Price then reached on a fielding error before stealing second base placing runners on second and third for the Patriots. With two outs, Seymour stepped up to the plate and connected on a changeup to produce what turned out to be the game-winning two-run single.

"For me this builds my confidence because I was struggling today," Seymour said. "Just helping my team produce runs and get a win definitely brings the whole team's confidence up too."

NEXT ON THE DIAMOND

The Patriots face Saint Joseph's for game three of their weekend series with gametime set for noon.