- Mason goes 1-1 against Saint Louis on Friday night, winning game two behind sophomore Bekah Ansbro's career high eight strikeouts.
- RS-junior Liz Seymour delivers the go-ahead two-run single in game two, now up to 13 RBI on the season.
- RS-freshman Adriana Erickson adds another extra-base hit to her season total in game one, currently on a six-game hitting streak.
GAME ONE FINAL: Saint Louis 6, Mason 1
Winning Pitcher: Maddie Baalman (12-9) – Losing Pitcher:
Haellie Gordon (6-7)
GAME TWO FINAL: Mason 2, Saint Louis 1
Winning Pitcher:
Bekah Ansbro (3-6) – Losing Pitcher: Kallen Loveless (1-2)
FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason returned to A-10 play by welcoming the Saint Louis Billikens to the George Mason Softball Complex on Friday night. In the first night time doubleheader of the season, the Patriots split its slate by dropping the first game 6-1 and winning the second 2-1.
Sophomore
Bekah Ansbro led the Patriots with her best pitching performance of the season, earning a complete game victory and striking out a career high seven batters. Ansbro has struck out 17 batters in her last 18 innings, a K/7 ratio that reads 0.94 in that span.
RS-freshman
Adriana Erickson notched another extra base hit with an RBI double in game one. Erickson picked up another hit in game two to extend her season high hitting streak to six games, while compiling an extra base hit in three of them.
"Bekah was phenomenal, that's what happens when you watch good pitchers do what they're supposed to do. She hit spots, she changed speeds and she dominated the strike zone all day long. She threw strikes when she needed to throw strikes. It was a great pitching performance, we needed that." head coach
Joe Verbanic said. "I'm old school. That's real softball. When you play good softball, that's how the score ends up. That's the mark of a good team - one that can win 2-1, 1-0."
Saint Louis rode a five-run third inning to take a comfortable lead and sit in the driver's seat for most of the game. The Billikens added an extra insurance run in the top of the fifth with a home run to center field by Sadie Wise. The blast put them up 6-1, but was the last run they'd get as
Taylor Mayer quieted the SLU bats from that point on by finishing the game with two scoreless innings from the circle.
The Patriots were upended by SLU starter Maddie Baalman's complete game performance that tamed the Patriots on the scoreboard. Outside of Erickson's first inning RBI double, Mason was kept off the scoreboard, a fact the Billikens took advantage of on their way to a 6-1 game one victory.
Verbanic gave the ball to Ansbro in game two with intentions of shifting the momentum toward the Patriots and in the long run, she delivered. SLU scored first with one run in the opening inning, but it would be all they'd get as Ansbro was lights out from there.
After Ansbro bounced back with a 1-2-3 second inning, Mason's bats went to work in the bottom half.
Miah Wilson singled with one out and was soon followed by
Brooke Sullivan's double to put ducks on the pond with two outs. In her first at-bat of game two,
Liz Seymour knocked a two-out single to right field that scored both runners and put Mason ahead 2-1. It was the last time a runner would cross the plate on Friday night thanks to stellar pitching from both sides.
With a 2-1 lead, Ansbro retired the side in order in each of the remaining innings, a run of 20 straight batters retired to finalize her second career complete game one-hitter.
With the final line of seven innings pitched, one earned run, one walk and eight strikeouts, Ansbro posted the team's first seven-inning complete game with eight or more strikeouts this season – doing so on just 79 pitches.
NEXT ON THE DIAMOND
The Patriots and Billikens square off for the rubber match of the three-game series Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. With Sunday off, Mason will follow the SLU series with a midweek doubleheader at Towson Wednesday afternoon.
