FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason softball team (8-6) earned two wins a midweek matchup against Coppin State.

The Patriots earned a 7-2 victory in the first game of the day before closing out the day with a 9-4 victory.

Game 1: Coppin State (0-11) vs. Mason (7-6)
 
In game one, Coppin State took the lead early, but it was not enough to hold off the late surge in the Patriots offensive momentum.
 
Coppin State earned their run off an RBI triple that sent home the base runner on first that reached base on a walk.
 
With quick work on both defensive ends of the field, the Eagles were able to hold off a scoring effort from the Patriots until the bottom of the third inning. Junior Haley Taormina got the inning started with a double hit out to center field. The third baseman advanced to third base on a wild pitch from the Eagles. A groundout to second base from senior EJ Bankson sends Taormina home for a Patriots run.
 
Mason put up two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning before taking the 3-1 lead over the Eagles. Redshirt sophomore Nicole Bechtel was the fourth person at bat in the inning with bases already loaded after both Taormina and Bankson were walked and senior Taylor Dadig hit a single. Bechtel was walked, earning an RBI.
 
Junior Maddy Myers followed Bechtel's RBI with a two RBI on her single. Sophomore Marlaina Bozek singled at her at bat to load the bases again for the Patriots. Junior Rachel Warrens hit a sacrifice fly out to centerfield, bringing in a run for the Patriots to increase their advantage to 7-1.
 
Both teams remained at an offensive standstill until the top of the seventh inning before the Eagles scored on more run, but it was not enough to send the Patriots up to bat again.
The pitching effort from sophomore Carly Cooper was enough to hold off the Eagles, earning the victory for the Green and Gold. Cooper, 5-1 on the mound this season, faced 16 at-bats, tallying three strikeouts.
 
Freshman Jordan Anderson came in to pitch for Cooper in the top of the fifth inning, seeing her first appearance on the mound this season. Freshman Madi Williams closed out the game pitching the last two innings of the game.
 
Game 2: Coppin State (0-12) vs. Mason (8-6)
 
The second game start in a similar manner to the first, with Coppin State striking first, scoring one in the top of the first inning.
 
Mason, unable to score in the bottom of the first inning, gave up another run to the Eagles, expanding Coppin State's lead to 2-0 after the top of the second.
 
The Patriots earned a spot on the board in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI bunt single from Taormina. Mason took the lead in the bottom of the third inning after scoring three runs.
 
Junior Rachel Warrens hit an RBI single to bring in Mason's first run of the third inning. Freshman Hayley Shifflett was next up to bat, hitting a two RBI single to help the Patriots increase their advantage to 4-2.
 
The Eagles responded back to the Patriots rally by scoring a run in top of the fourth inning off an RBI single to close in on Mason's 4-3 advantage.
 
Mason got hot in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring five runs to take a 9-3 lead over the Eagles. Sophomore Zoe Vozick was first up to bat for the Patriots in the inning and hit a single before stealing second base. Taormina hit a single of her own and advanced to second after the Eagles were slow to get the ball up the field. Vozick advanced to third on the play.
 
Freshman Jordan Anderson hit an RBI single to bring in Mason's first run of the inning. Dadig hit the Patriots fourth single of the inning, advancing to second base on the throw which sent two runs home for Mason. Myers then hit a sacrifice flyout to centerfield that sent a fourth run home for the Patriots in the inning. Shifflett closed out the scoring effort for the Patriots in the inning, hitting an RBI single.
 
Coppin State comes back in the top of the fifth inning to score one run, but with the inability to add any more runs to their total in the sixth and seventh innings, the Patriots came away with their second win of the day.
 
Freshman Alexandra Anderson earned the start in the second game but was pulled after pitching 0.2 of the first inning. Williams came in to relieve Anderson after closing out game one. Graduate transfer Cheyenne Van Pelt closed out the game after relieving Williams in the top of the fifth inning. The freshman Williams earned her second win of the season.

UP NEXT
 
The Patriots will host St. Bonaventure for a three-game series Mar. 13-14 to open Atlantic 10 play. The first pitch on each day is scheduled for 12 p.m.