FAIRFAX, Va. – The pitching staff of George Mason University's softball team combined for eight three-up-three-down innings Wednesday to set the tone for Mason's first non-conference sweep of the season, 4-0 and 4-3 against Hampton.

Freshmen Taylor Mayer (2-2) and Bekah Ansbro (2-7) both picked up their second wins of the season in the home victories against the Pirates while their classmate Madison Larsen picked up a save in the night cap. The quartet in the circle gave up only three hits in the first 13 innings of the doubleheader and six in the entire day.

"It was very important that everyone took part of the success today," pitching assistant Caitly de la Haba said. "Wednesdays are key to their performance on the weekend because it helps them stay sharp and work on things so that they feel good going into the weekend."

Sophomore starter Marina Vitalich and Mayer combined for a two-hit shutout in game one, in which only four Hampton players reached base. One of those base runs was a walk and another was the Patriots' only error of the day in the seventh inning, which was corrected immediately with a double play that closed the game at 4-0.

Ansbro carried the momentum into the second game and was broken only once in five innings. By then the Patriots had what seemed at the time as a comfortable lead. First off, a triple by redshirt sophomore third baseman Jess Middleton – her second extra-base hit on the day – broke the deadlock by scoring freshman catcher Sydnee Wells. On the following at-bat, by sophomore second baseman Erin Calpin, Middleton scored her second run of the day to make the score 2-0 Mason. Hampton went on a late spurt and picked up three hits in the top of the seventh inning to score three runs and get in the lead for the first time on the day, 3-2.

This time, however, the Patriots would not settle for a split. After Larsen and her defense got Mason out of the jam, the home team replicated the offensive composure from game one to score two decisive runs in the bottom of the inning to hold on to the sweep. After leading off Mason with a single to left field, freshman shortstop Madison Aker, who has been at the heart of all recent late-game heroics by the Patriots, slid at home right in time to tie the game with one out. After her, Middleton had a lengthy at bat but it was worth the wait because her sacrifice fly-out to right field allowed sophomore Jess Curbeira to score the winning run, 4-3.

That was a fitting end to Curbeira's phenomenal performance at the very top of the lineup. She had her first three-hit performance as a Patriot in game two and finished the day 6-for-8 at bat with two RBI. Her double to center field topped off the Patriots' decisive four-run sixth inning in game one, scoring Aker and junior right fielder Brooke Sullivan – the other RBI providers – to materialize Mason's superiority.

NEXT ON THE DIAMOND

The Patriots will hit the road this weekend for an Atlantic 10 Conference series at Rhode Island. Saturday's doubleheader in Kingston, R.I. begins at noon and so does the series finale on Sunday.