WHEN: March 8-10, 2019
WHERE: George Mason Softball Complex
OPPONENTS: Monmouth (5-5), Lafayette (1-5) and Marshall (14-5)
LIVE STATS
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason softball team hosts the Cherry Blossom Classic March 8-10 at the George Mason Softball Complex. The Patriots will welcome Marshall, Lafayette and Monmouth for a 10-game, three-day tournament. 
 
Competition begins Friday with a trio of games. Marshall and Monmouth will face off first at 1:30 p.m., followed by Mason vs. Lafayette at 3:45 p.m. and Mason vs. Marshall at 6 p.m. See below for the full schedule of events. 
 
LAST TIME OUT 
The Patriots fell to Colgate (5-2) and Albany (7-2) in the lone day of the Patriot Classic. Against Colgate, redshirt sophomore Adriana Erickson hit a solo home run while freshman Anna DiMari recorded her first career hit. The two losses dropped Mason to 3-7 overall. 
 
RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY
So far this season, six games have been canceled due to inclement weather including four during last weekend's home tournament. With rain in the expected weekend forecast, stay up to date on Mason softball social media for schedule updates.
 
SENIORS LEADING THE WAY
Senior Jess Curbeira has notched a hit in eight of Mason's ten games this season. She also leads the team in doubles, hitting three so far. In addition, senior Liz Seymour excelled in the Madeira Beach Invitational, tabbing five hits and six RBIs. 
 
BANKSON STEPPING UP
Freshman EJ Bankson has provided a spark to the Patriots' offense as of late. The third baseman notched two hits in the Patriot Classic, including an RBI double. Her six RBIs tie Seymour for the most on the team.
 
IN THE CIRCLE
Junior Bekah Ansbro leads the pitching staff with 21 strikeouts in 22.1 innings. Through four appearances, she has an ERA of 4.39.  
 
Pitchers Haellie Gordon and Marina Vitalich each have ERAs of 4.67. Vitalich has notched 17 strikeouts with a 2-1 record while Gordon's record sits at 0-3. 
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Marshall: 14-5
Marshall is riding a four-game winning streaking with its most recent victories coming in a series sweep of Rider on March 2-3. 
 
Abigail Tolbert has carried the majority of the pitching load this season with an overall record of 9-4. She leads the team in starts (12), strikeouts (51) and appearances (14). 
 
Mason and Marshall have faced off twice all-time with the series tied 1-1. The last meeting resulted in an 8-5 Marshall win on Feb. 10, 2012.
 
Monmouth: 5-5
Monmouth's three games at the Towson University Invite were canceled due to inclement weather, resulting in the Hawks' to not see the field last weekend. 
 
The Hawks picked up three wins at the FIU Panther Invitational Feb. 22-24 to improve their record to 5-5. 
 
Lafayette: 1-5
Lafayette has faced similar weather-related setbacks to the start of the 2019 season. The Leopards have canceled four games so far due to weather.

Lafayette enters the tournament with a 1-5 record. The lone win for the Leopards came against A-10 foe La Salle 7-3. 
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
 
8          Fri       Cherry Blossom Classic
                        Marshall  vs. Monmouth                     1:30 PM
                        Lafayette                                            3:45 PM
                        Marshall                                             6:00 PM
 
9          Sat      Cherry Blossom Classic
                        Lafayette vs Marshall                         11:00 AM
                        Lafayette vs Monmouth                      1:30 PM 
                        Marshall                                             3:45 PM
                        Monmouth                                         6:00 PM
 
10        Sun     Cherry Blossom Classic                      
                        Monmouth vs Marshall                      11:00 AM
                        Monmouth vs Lafayette                     1:15 PM
                        Lafayette                                           3:30 PM