Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – George Mason University's softball team was an out away from its first win of the season, but could not close out the morning game against the College of Charleston and instead dropped both of Saturday's contests against the Cougars and Jacksonville University.
The Patriots allowed five seventh-inning runs to drop the game against CofC 7-4 and later lost their second contest against River City Leadoff Jacksonville 10-2.

DAY NOTES

-Despite losing both games, Mason cleaned up its defensive play and committed a total of six errors between the two games, which is as many as the Patriots committed in Friday's opener against the Dolphins.
-Mason batted .200 (8-40) during the course of the day. Freshman catcher Sydnee Wells had a great day with 2-4 hitting, 4 RBI and two runs. Sophomore third baseman Erin Calpin  (1-2) and senior outfielder Katherine Marsh (1-2) also averaged .500 on Saturday but played in only one game apiece. Calpin contributed one of Mason's four runs in the third inning against the College of Charleston.
-Head coach Joe Verbanic and assistant Caitlyn de la Haba got through the day with four pitchers – sophomore Marina Vitalich (4.0 IP, 2 strikeouts) and freshman Madison Larsen (3.0 IP, 1 strikeout, loss – 0-1) in the morning and freshman duo Bekah Ansbro (3.1 IP, loss – 0-2) and Taylor Mayer (1.0 IP) in the afternoon. This was Mayer's debut for the Patriots.
-After being second in the batting order for the first two games, freshman infielder Madison Aker was promoted to leadoff hitter against Jacksonville on Saturday and hit .500 (1-2) and contributed one of the Patriots' two runs.
-Clean pitching by JU's Seana Mora and Taylor Thorpe left no Patriots on base in the afternoon. Vitalich was the only player left on base against CofC, three times. On the other hand, the Patriots' pitching staff stranded 14 runners over the course of the day.

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. College of Charleston

-The Cougars had an aggressive start and loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the first, but Katie Padilla popped out to end the inning. Nevertheless, CofC opened the scoring in the following inning after Kashmir Huckaby stole second and then crossed home plate after consecutive sacrifice bunts from Yari Felix and leadoff hitter Taylor DuPree, 1-0.

-After zero hits in the opening two innings, Mason responded in a big way in the bottom of the third, when it accumulated four hits scored as many runs off them. A walk by Calpin and singles from freshman utility Mary-Elizabeth Luttrell and outfielder Alyssa Lawton loaded the bases for Mason and put pressure on the Cougars' pitcher Sam Martin. As a result, Martin walked Aker, which brough Calpin home for the equalizing run. It got even better for Mason right after, when Wells singled up the middle and capitalized on the throw to advance an extra base for an RBI double, 3-1 Mason. The Dolphins brought Izzy Berouty in the circle after she pitched a complete game for Friday's win against Mason, but the Patriots were not done yet and increased their advantage to three as redshirt sophomore second baseman hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Aker, 4-1.

-After a three-up-three-down inning for Vitalich in the fourth, as well as one for her counterpart, Mason introduced Larsen to the game in the fifth inning. After retiring the two leadoff batters in CofC's lineup immediately after her introduction, Larsen then walked Kelly Sinclair. This proved crucial because the Cougars needed only a single by Taylor Belfiore and a rare error by Mason to get a run back, 4-2.

-Two outs into the top of the seventh, CofC introduced pinch hitter Lexee Emanuel, who had a crucial impact on the game. Emanuel doubled to pick up an RBI single and soon after scored a run herself on Madi Brown's RBI single to tie the game and give the Cougars all the momentum, 4-4. Doubles from both ends of the lineup resulted in an RBI double by Felix and RBI single by DuPree which gave the Cougars a 7-4 lead before Dana Horgan finally grounded out for the final out of the inning. Berouty capitalized on the shock in the Patriots and enjoyed a one-two-three inning to improve her and her team's record to 1-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. Jacksonville

-Thorpe pitched three clean innings to start the game and although Ansbro did the same in the bottom of the second inning, by the start of the fourth JU was already up 5-0 thanks to RBI singles from Danielle Baker, Madison Ragan, Bathany Kursch and Kristen Griffith and a wild pitch by Mason's freshman pitcher.

-The Patriots finally got something going offensively with doubles from freshmen Aker and Wells, the latter of which turned into an RBI single before Wells scored herself on JU's only error in the game, 5-2.

-Three defensive errors by Mason caused two quick runs by the Dolphins in the fourth – through Ciara Jones and Jordan Daniels, both unearned – which prompted the pitching change for the Patriots. Baker also crossed home plate before the end of the inning, extending JU's lead to 8-2.

-Marsh's single to left field in the fifth inning was the closest Mason came to scoring again, but she and freshman infielder Erika Elias were caught in a double play to erase the threat. That was the last time the Patriots were at bat because three stolen bases later – including Buss stealing home for 9-2 – JU's leadoff hitter Allie McCourt grounded out for an RBI single that scored Daniels for the second time in the game and prematurely ended the contest at 10-2.

POST-GAME QUOTES

"Young players trying to close out wins is just another one of those areas in which you learn through experience. [We] took some good steps but [have] lots of work to do." – Mason head coach Joe Verbanic
"Our resilience has been great, the team is playing hard [and] growing every day. That is a big part of what we are here to do."

NEXT ON THE DIAMOND

Mason closes out the River City Leadoff with two games on Sunday. The Patriots have another early first pitch against CofC at 9:30 a.m. and face Appalachian State immediately after, at noon.