• Mason goes 1-1 on Saturday for second day in a row.
• Junior Jess Curbeira stays red-hot, goes 4-for-7 with a home run. Slash line now up to .538/.552/1.038.
• Freshman Haellie Gordon throws first collegiate complete game while picking up the win over St. Bonaventure.

 
GAME ONE FINAL: Mason 3, St. Bonaventure 1 (PDF Box Score)
Winning Pitcher: Haellie Gordon (2-1) – Losing Pitcher: Grace Van Horn (0-1)
 
GAME TWO FINAL: Charleston Southern 7, Mason 1 (PDF Box Score)
Winning Pitcher: Amanda Pilgrim (3-1) – Losing Pitcher: Marina Vitalich (1-2)
 
CHARLESTON, S.C. – George Mason Softball wrapped up the Charleston Southern Tournament Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 win over St. Bonaventure and a 7-1 loss to Charleston Southern.
 
Junior Jess Curbeira collected four hits between the two games, including a home run that was the Patriots' only run of the second game against CSU. The Henrico, Va. native now has 10 extra base hits and is slugging 1.038 to contribute to her 1.590 OPS.
 
Senior Brooke Sullivan picked up three hits (one double) in the Patriots' two games, one of which was an RBI single in the win over St. Bonaventure. Sullivan propelled her batting average past the .400 mark in the young season, and has her OBP sitting at .552 nine games in.

"They were a good ball club," head coach Joe Verbanic said referring to Charleston Southern. "We played really well for the first half of the [Charleston Southern game] and had opportunities to score runs, but when we didn't we left the door open for them. As a young team we're still figuring out how to win and this was an invaluable road trip."
 
Freshman Haellie Gordon got the nod from Verbanic to start the 9 a.m. game against St. Bonaventure and set the tone early with a 1-2-3 top of the first. The Patriots got the freshman some early run support in their half of the first when Sullivan took a 2-2 pitch and singled up the middle to bring home Liz Seymour. The run batted in was Sullivan's fourth two-out RBI of the season.
 
Gordon's day in the circle varied between low-stress and high-stress innings, beginning with the top of the second when she had to work around a leadoff triple by Hailey Blencowe. She got some help from her friends, as shortstop Madison Aker threw Blencowe out at home on a fielder's choice two batters later, making it smooth sailing the rest of the inning.
 
Mason extended its lead in the bottom of the third with a one-out double to left field from Miah Wilson, bringing home two runners to take a 3-0 lead. It was Wilson's second at-bat of the game with the bases loaded and she capitalized on the opportunity.
 
Gordon retired eight of the next ten batters faced in innings three through five, and threw five innings of shutout softball on just 53 pitches. However, the Bonnies ended Gordon's bid for a shutout in the bottom of the sixth by collecting an unearned run to cut the Mason lead to 3-1. The Bonnies looked poised for more, but Gordon buckled down and got out a bases-loaded jam to send the Patriots to the bottom of the sixth up 3-1.
 
Verbanic sent Gordon back to the circle to try and get the complete game victory, and she did her job by getting all three Bonnies hitters to ground out – including the final out which Gordon retired 1-3. Just like they did on Friday, Mason won the morning game of its two-game slate – this time in close fashion by a 3-1 score.
 
The Patriots got a second chance against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers and had their ace in the circle for round two. Marina Vitalich kept the kept the Bucs' bats quiet in the first two innings, ensuring the Patriots would be the first team to score first.
 
Curbeira did exactly that in the top of the third inning, blasting an 0-1 pitch to right for her first round-tripper of the season. The homerun was her tenth extra base hit of 2018, and second of the game to that point.
However, the Buccaneers had an answer in the form of back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the fourth to grab a 2-1 lead. Vitalich picked up two more strikeouts to finish with six, but the Charleston Southern offense proved to be too much as they posted two runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and three in the sixth on the way to a 7-1 victory.
 
Saturday marked the third consecutive game day the Patriots went 1-1 in their two-game slate, consequently having their record move to 4-5.
 
NEXT ON THE DIAMOND
 
The Patriots (4-5) have their home opener on Mar. 2 (Friday) against Syracuse at 3:30 p.m. The game against the Orange will serve as the Patriots' first in their five-game slate throughout the Patriot Classic that will take place all weekend at the George Mason Softball Complex.