WHO: Softball vs Dayton
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. GMU Softball Complex
FINAL SCORE: Mason 4, Dayton 1
KEY PLAYERS: Jess Middleton 2-5, 1R, 3RBI, 1BB, Sarah Kleinfelter, 6IP, 1ER, 0BB, 5H, 3K, Marina Vitalich W (9-6) 7IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 9K, Brooke Sullivan, 2-6, 1R, Liz Seymour 2-5, 1R, 1IBB

Fairfax, Va. – Both George Mason and Dayton learned right before the first pitch of their series opener that they would only be playing one game Saturday due to weather concerns. What followed was the closest thing to a doubleheader the two teams could've provided.

Mason defeated Dayton 4-1 on a walk-off three run home run by redshirt freshman Jess Middleton in the bottom of the 13^th inning. The win put the Patriots back at .500 in conference play with a 3-3 record, and put an end to a game that surpassed three hours.

Senior pitcher Sarah Kleinfelter started the game for the Patriots and worked her way out of two jams in the first two innings, only allowing one runner to score. From the moment that runner crossed home plate, Kleinfelter locked in and set the next six Flyers' batters down in order.

The last time Dayton would threaten all game would come in the fifth inning, when a Dayton batter hit a come-backer straight off of Kleinfelter's thigh resulting in runners standing on the corners with two outs. The Warrenton, Va. native shook off the injury, threw a few pitches to confirm she was alright and promptly induced a pop-out to sophomore shortstop Liz Seymour.

The Patriots were without a hit with two outs in the bottom of the fourth until sophomore catcher Brooke Sullivan stepped up to the plate. Sullivan smacked a single perfectly in-between the first and second baseman breaking up the no-hitter and giving Mason life in the low scoring contest. The Patriots were unable to build on that specific hit but the desire to battle back against Dayton's Manda Cash was proven that inning.

The very next inning, Mason would get on the board when senior outfielder Julia Czarnecki doubled home junior designated player Katherine Marsh. Marsh drew a walk and after a Mason strikeout, Czarnecki delivered Mason's second biggest hit of the afternoon to tie the game at one apiece.

Freshman pitcher Marina Vitalich replaced Kleinfelter in the seventh and was perfect in the following seven innings she pitched. This is the latest incredible pitching feat Vitalich has turned in for Mason considering she already has a no-hitter on the season and also combined with Kleinfelter for a perfect game against Towson.

“Sarah did a really great job at the beginning of the game then it got to a point where we felt like it was a good time to make a switch, and it ended up working out,” Assistant coach Caitlyn de la Haba said. “I thought they both threw a great game, they didn't give any free passes, they went right at hitters and they got ahead in counts.”

With Vitalich in the circle terrorizing Dayton hitters, the freshman struck out nine Flyers, Mason would have the best chances to plate the winning run the rest of the game. The Patriots stranded three in the ninth and two in the tenth. In the ninth Czarnecki hit a grounder to short and was out at first base by the slimmest of margins.

In the tenth, senior outfielder Casey Price led off the inning with a double. Junior second baseman McKenzie Jones then moved the senior lead-off hitter over when she hit a ball to the right side of the infield. After Seymour was intentionally walked, Sullivan grounded into an inning ending double play even though again, the play at first was extremely close as Dayton's first baseman had to stretch to the furthest extent, falling to the dirt while staying on the bag.

Mason finally broke through in the thirteenth when Seymour led off the inning with a bloop single to left field followed by a Sullivan infield single to short. This brought Middleton to the dish and after falling behind in the count, the redshirt freshman unloaded on a pitch high and up in the zone for her first career collegiate walk-off homer and second home run of the week.

“The first couple of pitches all I thought was get contact on the ball and move the two runners over since we had no outs,” Middleton said. “She threw one right in what I know is my power zone and there was no way I was going to be able to put it in the opposite field, so I just took a rip at it.”

That rip flew over the left-centerfield fence and gave the Patriots a dramatic series opening victory over the Flyers.

STAT BREAKDOWN

-Dayton did not have a hit or base-runner after the 5^th inning of the game.

-Mason's Sullivan and freshman first baseman Samantha Zaccari lead the team in put outs with 11 and 12 respectively; Dayton's catcher and first basemen duo also lead the Flyers in put outs with 16 and 15, respectively.

-Dayton's Manda Cash earned a career high 13 strike-outs with only one Patriot going down looking.

NEXT ON THE DIAMOND

Mason faces Dayton again tomorrow in a series ending doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.