GEORGE MASON (13-7, 0-0 A-10) vs. LOYOLA (4-14, A-10)
GAME PROGRAM: Click Here
WHEN: Sat.-Sun., March 18-19; Sat.: Noon & 2:30 p.m, Sun. Noon
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. | George Mason Softball Complex
WATCH ON ESPN+ (ONLY FOR SUNDAY): Noon
LIVESTATS: Click Here
HISTORY: Loyola leads the all-time series 2-0; last met on February 14-15, 2020 (Loyola won both games 1-0 & 12-0)
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason softball team (13-7) will finish their Spring Break homestand by starting in-conference action this weekend. They will host Loyola (4-14) in a three-game weekend series at the George Mason Softball Complex.
The Patriots are currently sitting at the top of the A-10 standings with a .650 winning percentage. The next closest team is George Washington with an 9-7 (.562) record.
Nationally, the Patriots as a team are ranked fourth in stolen bases per game (3.30). They have 67 stolen bases on the season, just six shy of cracking the top 5 list of most stolen bases in a season at Mason, which was 73 in 2002.
Individually, Elyssa DeRosa (.455 / .545 / .818) leads the nation in triples with six on the year. She also is third among freshmen in batting average. Haley Taormina (.410 / .457 / .803) is ranked fifth nationally in Doubles per Game (0.50).
A LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS
Mason swept Coppin State in Wednesday's doubleheader, winning 4-0 and 8-2.
Pitchers Aly Rayle (3-3, 3.02 ERA) and Carly Cooper (2-3, 3.00 ERA) put up a one-hit shutout in Game One. Rayle pitched four no-hit innings and struck out seven Eagles. Cooper also recorded her first save of the season as well, going three innings and only allowing one hit.
Freshman Elyssa DeRosa went 3-for-5 with two triples and two RBI. She now leads the nation with six triples on the year.
Senior Haley Taormina hit the series' only home run. In her second at-bat in Game Two, she hit a three-run shot over the left field wall. Taormina leads the Green & Gold with four home runs on the year.
Starting pitcher Jordan Tallman's two innings of shutout action in Game Two lowered her ERA to 2.26, the lowest on Mason's pitching staff. Alexandra Anderson, who pitched four innings in relief in Game Two, earned her second win the season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Ramblers of Loyola are coming into Fairfax not having played since March 5th, as rain canceled last weekend's Mustang Classic at Cal Poly. A week before that, at the Saluki Invitational hosted by Southern Illinois, the Ramblers won one of four games, their only win coming against Butler in their second matchup by the score of 7-0. They lost in their first meeting to Butler 2-9, Southern Illinois 2-6, and UT Martin 4-5.
Senior Amelia Thomas (.333 / .441 / .375) leads the team in batting average (.333, 16-for-48). Not only does she lead the team in average, but she also leads the team in RBI with six, tied with teammate Sydney Barnett (.25 / .333 / .385). The Ramblers' two home runs on the season were hit by Sydney Barnett and Madison Ebeling (.241 / .328 / .370).
On the pitching side, sophomore Peyton Pepkowski (4-4, 3.04 ERA) has seen the most action and has won all of Loyola's games this season. She has pitched 50.2 innings and has 42 strikeouts on the season. Loyola's second starting pitcher, Andie Broniewicz (0-7, 3.80 ERA) has pitched 46 innings and struck out 13.
HISTORY WITH THE RAMBLERS
This will be the third, fourth and fifth matchup between the Patriots and the Ramblers. The two prior meetings were at a neutral site when the Patriots played in the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas, hosted by Sam Houston State back in 2020. In their first matchup, the Ramblers won 1-0. The following day, the Ramblers won again, this time by the score of 12-0 in which the game was called after five innings.
UP NEXT
The Patriots will head down to Harrisonburg, Va. to take on the Dukes of James Madison in a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday, March 22. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
