SOFTBALL (14-13, 2-3 A-10) VS Maryland Eastern Shore (7-18, 2-5 MEAC)
WHEN: 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, 2016
WHERE: George Mason Softball Complex, Fairfax,Va.
LIVE STATS: GoMason.com
Fairfax, Va. – The George Mason University softball team will look to rebound from two tough conference losses against UMass when they host the UMES. With the two defeats, the Patriots now find themselves in sole possession of sixth place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings.
Mason continues to struggle in the first game of doubleheaders. The Patriots have lost three straight doubleheader openers, even though they have responded with victories in two out of three following games.
The key contributors for the Patriots have performed well and adding herself to that group is freshman first baseman Samantha Zaccari. Zaccari is second on the team in runs scored and has provided some pop in the middle of the lineup, hitting behind sophomore catcher Brooke Sullivan.
Junior second baseman McKenzie Jones has cooled off slightly but still leads all Patriots who have played at least 10 games with a .355 batting average. Senior outfielder Casey Price leads the team with 21 RBI's, senior outfielder Julia Czarnecki leads the Patriots with 18 runs and sophomore shortstop Liz Seymour leads the team in homeruns with one, and is tied for first with Czarnecki in hits, as both Patriots have 25.
Freshman pitcher Marina Vitalich leads the way for Mason's pitching staff with an 8-6 record, 1.93 ERA and 72 strikeouts. Senior pitcher Sarah Kleinfelter has also contributed greatly to the success of the Patriots, contributing 34 strikeouts in 60 innings of work.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Hawks have lost two-straight, including a 14-4 loss in the hands of Norfolk State. UMES has lost two straight conference series and had a doubleheader cut short against Norfolk State due to weather. The Hawks' best player at the plate is Vanessa Gomez. Gomez leads the team with 23 runs, 31 hits, 8 doubles, 6 triples and 15 RBI's. Gomez also leads the team in batting average with a scorching .392 mark and her slugging percentage of .646 is 160 points higher than the next closest Hawk. UMES pitchers sport a 6.23 combined ERA and have given up 20 home runs on the year.
