• RS-junior Liz Seymour now ranks 9^th on Mason's All-Time list for career doubles (27). 
• Freshman Haellie Gordon continues to impress, despite loss, tossing six innings of one-run ball. 
• Mason back in action Saturday at noon against Jacksonville.

 
GAME ONE FINAL: Manhattan 7, Mason 4 (F/8)
Winning Pitcher: Briana Matazinsky (3-3) – Losing Pitcher: Bekah Ansbro (2-5)
 
GAME TWO FINAL: Stetson 2, Mason 1
Winning Pitcher: Tori Perkins (12-5) – Losing Pitcher: Haellie Gordon (5-3)
 
DELAND, Fla. – George Mason softball drops its two games Thursday in the Stetson Hatter Roundup. Mason competed in two tight games, the first going to extra innings and the second coming down to the last at-bat.  
 
Bekah Ansbro got the ball to start the day for the Patriots. The sophomore pitched well through seven innings, allowing only 3 runs to cross. Despite the effort, the right-hander ran into some trouble in extra innings, as four runs came in to score in the top of the eighth.
 
Manhattan's Daniela Chiorazzi broke the stalemate in the third inning with a sacrifice fly, giving the Jaspers their first lead of the day. Later, second basemen Lauren Pitney homered to left center, extending Manhattan's lead in the top of the fifth.
 
In the bottom half of the fifth, freshman Meghan Graham led the Patriots off with a single. Redshirt junior Liz Seymour drove in another junior, Jess Curbeira, after hitting a double to left field. This double was a big one for Seymour, not only because she cut the run deficit in half, but also because with that RBI double Seymour is now tied for 9^th on Mason's All-Time list for career doubles (27).
 
With the score in Manhattan's favor, 3-1 after five and a half innings, the Patriots needed a big bottom sixth, and that is exactly what they got.
 
Graham came up big again for Mason with an RBI single. After the base hit, senior Brooke Sullivan added an RBI to her stat line by simply watching four pitches. The utility player came up with the bases juiced and was given four straight balls and a free pass to first. The big half inning tied the score.
 
Trouble for the Patriots came in extras, where the Jaspers produced 4 runs in the top of the eighth. The bulk of the runs came off the bat of Victoria Ross. The third basemen hit a two-run home run, helping to grow Manhattan's lead to 7-3 after the half inning concluded.
 
The Patriots added a run in the bottom half of the inning, but it ultimately was not enough, as they fell 7-4.
 
In the later game, freshman Haellie Gordon got the nod from head coach Joe Verbanic. Gordon pitched extremely well, giving up only one earned run on eight hits, in six innings of work. The Salem, Va. native threw a total of 80 pitches, 60 of which were strikes (75 percent). She also had zero 3-ball counts in her entire outing, along with only four 2-ball counts.
 
Gordon found a little trouble in the bottom of the third, after a sac fly by Stetson gave them runners on second and third, however the freshman was able work out of it. She did the same in the bottom of the fifth, as Stetson center fielder Kasey Fava led the inning off with a base hit. After a double and a bunt, the Hatters had the bases loaded with only one out.  Fortunately for the Patriots, Gordon was able to maneuver out of another jam by collecting a strikeout and getting a batter to fly out. 

The freshman continues to be a bright spot in the rotation as she leads the team in wins (5) and innings pitched (39.1).
 
Mason's one run came in the top of the fourth, starting with great discipline from senior Brooke Sullivan, who walked to lead off the inning. RS-junior Liz Seymour and redshirt freshman Adriana Erickson each singled, loading the bases for the Patriots. Once again, Mason was able to produce off their discipline and earned another RBI off of a walked batter, the batter being freshman Meghan Graham.
 
Stetson was trailing the whole game, until they capitalized on opportunities in the sixth inning, scoring two runs. The first came off of a base hit from catcher Blake Crews, while the other run came unearned off of an error.
 
After these runs came across, the Patriots battle back, however they were not able to push a run across in the seventh.
 
NEXT ON THE DIAMOND
 
Mason plays their last game in Florida Saturday, March 17 at noon against Jacksonville University before their first Atlantic 10 series opens up in Fairfax the following week against the University of Rhode Island.