FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason softball team (6-6) split their final two games of the weekend with Lafayette.
The Patriots earned a 9-6 victory in the first game of the day before dropping the second game 2-1.
Game 1: Lafayette (3-4) vs. Mason (6-5)
In game one, the action started flowing at the bottom of the first inning when the Patriots scored three runs.
Senior
EJ Bankson electrified the stadium as she hit a triple at Mason's first at bat of the day. While the next batter in the lineup popped out, Mason struck first, scoring a run on an RBI double from redshirt sophomore
Nicole Bechtel. The catcher tried to stretch the double into a triple before she was caught stealing by the third baseman.
Continuing play, junior
Maddy Myers singled, sophomore
Marlaina Bozek walked, and junior
Rachel Warrens singled to load the bases. At freshman
Charlotte Montgomery's at-bat, she was walked, advancing a run home. Up next, sophomore
Sydney Bales reached base on a fielding error from the second baseman, advancing a runner home, unearned.
Mason led 3-0 after the first inning, but the score remained stagnant until the Patriots were up to bat in the bottom of the third.
Bases were loaded after the first three batters with Bozek being walked, Warrens hitting a single and Bozek advancing to third on the play, and Montgomery being walked. Bales then reached base on an error from the shortstop, advancing an unearned run home. Junior
Haley Taormina hit a fly out to center field that ended up advancing a runner home.
The bases stayed loaded after Bankson was walked at her at bat. Mason was able to score two more runs in the inning after senior
Taylor Dadig hit a single.
Mason was able to hold off the Leopards until the top of the fifth inning. After five batters, the bases were loaded. A wild pitch from freshman
Madi Williams earned the Leopards their first run of the game. Williams walked the next batter to return to bases loaded and then sent another run home for Lafayette off a wild pitch. A two RBI single from the Leopards turned the score to 7-4 to end the inning.
The Patriots scored their final two runs of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Dadig hit an RBI double, advancing the one base runner to home.
In the top of the sixth inning, Lafayette responded back to the Patriots by scoring two runs of their own off an RBI single. With the bases loaded, Warrens sacrificed flied out to left field, earning an RBI on the play.
Lafayette retaliated in the top of the seventh inning, scoring two runs, but it was not enough as the Patriots were able to come away with a 9-6 victory.
The pitching effort from sophomore
Carly Cooper was enough to hold off the Leopards, earning the victory for the Green and Gold. Cooper, 4-1 on the mound this season, faced 12 at-bats. Williams came in to relieve Cooper at the top of the fourth and graduate transfer
Cheyenne Van Pelt closed out the game pitching 2 innings.
Game 2: Lafayette (4-4) vs. Mason (6-6)
In the second contest, Lafayette came out strong, scoring their two runs in the top of the first inning. The first three batters for the Leopards were walked, loading the bases early. Despite getting the next two batters in the rotation out, a single from Lafayette sent to runs home.
Both teams made for quick work for the next five and a half innings, getting the three outs in four batters or less.
Mason was able to earn their lone run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. With runners on first and third, Bales hit a sacrifice fly out to center field, sending the base runner on third home to score the run.
Unable to score a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Patriots gave Lafayette their first win of the weekend.
Van Pelt earned the start in the second game after closing out the first game of the day. Freshman
Alexandra Anderson came in to relieve Van Pelt in the top of the seventh inning to close out the game.
UP NEXT
The Patriots will host Coppin State on Wednesday Mar. 9 for a doubleheader with the first pitch of the day slated for 2 P.M.
