CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The George Mason softball team (9-5) split their second day at the Palmer Park Clash. The Patriots beat Saint Francis 9-1 in five innings in their morning game and were just edged out by the hosts, Virginia, by the score of 2-1 in the tournament's final game. Mason finished the weekend going 2-2, with three of the four games being decided by one run. The Patriot offense was consistent again this weekend as well, as they outscored their opponents 18-11.
MASON NUMBERS
- Freshman Elyssa DeRosa led the team in batting average (.500) doubles (3), triples (1) and runs batted in (6)
- Senior Rachel Warrens hit her 100th career hit at Mason during the team's Sunday win against Saint Francis
- Sophomore Jordan Tallman collected her fourth win of the season. She currently leads Mason's pitching staff in wins.
GAME 1: MASON (9-4) vs. SAINT FRANCIS (6-9)
There was no shortage of runs scored this time around in Sunday morning's rematch against the Red Flash. The first score of the game came in the second inning when Saint Francis' Savannah Nash tripled to center field, sending Rachel Marsden home from second base. This would be the only run Saint Francis would record in the game.
The Patriots scored in three consecutive innings, starting in the third inning. In the bottom of the third, with the bases loaded, senior third baseman
Haley Taormina hit a bases-clearing double to center field. This brought
Charlotte Montgomery,
Rachel Warrens and
Marlaina Bozek home. Two more runs would be scored in the inning. After Nichole Bechtel moved
Haley Taormina over to third with a productive groundout,
Logan Pickford was up next to bat. Pickford was able to reach to first on a throwing error by the Red Flash pitcher, which gave
Haley Taormina the opportunity to score. Freshman outfielder
Elyssa DeRosa then hit a double down the left field line, and
Logan Pickford was able to score all the way from first. The Patriots had jumped out to a 5-1 lead into the fourth inning.
In that same third inning, senior shortstop
Rachel Warrens hit a single to center field. That was the San Diego, Calif, native's
100th career hit as a Patriot.
In the fourth inning,
Rachel Warrens' 101st career hit would add to the Patriot lead, as her RBI single brought home
Maddy Myers, who drew a walk and then stole second base. When Myers scored, Warrens had the chance to advance to second base because the defense tried to throw the ball home in time. After stealing third base during
Marlaina Bozek's at bat, Bozek hit a sacrifice fly to center field.
Rachel Warrens tagged up and touched home plate. The score now was 7-1 going to the fifth inning.
The fifth inning saw a Patriot walk-off Run Rule Victory. Nichole Bechtel started the inning with a single to center field.
Carly Cooper would come in as a pinch runner.
Logan Pickford then lifted a double to left field. With runners on second and third with no outs,
Elyssa DeRosa's double down the left field line sent both runners home, ending the game.
Sophomore pitcher
Jordan Tallman recorded her fourth win on the season. In her five-inning complete game, the Latrobe, Pa., product struck out two, gave up two hits and allowed only one run.
GEORGE MASON (9-5) vs. VIRGINIA (17-4)
In the final game of the Palmer Park Clash, the regional rivalry between the two Virginia schools was elevated with Mason graduate student
Aly Rayle pitching against her alma mater. In her return to Charlottesville, Rayle pitched a strong six innings, striking out three and allowing two runs, only one being earned.
The Patriots struck first in the second inning with a trio of singles.
Elyssa DeRosa hit a single to short and
Sydney Blackwell singled up the middle. With runners on first and second,
Maddy Myers' single was deep enough for DeRosa to score from second. However, the Cavalier outfield was able to relay the ball fast enough to tag Blackwell, who was sliding into third, which ended the inning.
It would not be until the fourth inning when Virginia, an offensive juggernaut up until this point in the tournament, put up its first run of the game. After Sarah Coon led off the inning with a double to left field, Katie Goldberg singled to left field, which drove Coon home. The Patriots were able to get out of the inning rather quickly after that single, as a Kailyn Jones pop up to third base's
Haley Taormina created a double play opportunity. After she caught the ball, Taormina threw a dart to
Maddy Myers at first base, where Cavalier Kassidy Hudson was caught in the base path and was not able to tag back up at first in time.
Virginia's go-ahead run would be scored in the bottom of the fifth inning. After Kelly Ayer reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a Patriot throwing error, Jade Hylton hit a single to left center. Ayer rounded third and scored the second run for the Cavaliers.
It would not be until the bottom of the seventh inning for the Patriots to develop a threatening opportunity to score.
Sydney Blackwell started the rally with a single, which knocked out Virginia's starting pitcher, Eden Bigham, who had ten strikeouts on the evening. Myers flied out the next at bat.
Charlotte Montgomery drew a walk and then
Rachel Warrens struck out. With two outs left,
Marlaina Bozek drew the second walk of the inning, loading the bases.
Haley Taormina was up to bat. On a 2-2 count, reliever Jenny Bressler delivered the pitch, which had been a ball. Catcher Leag Boggs then made a snap throw to first base, where
Marlaina Bozek was picked off. The game between the two regional rivals ended in a 2-1 thriller.
UP NEXT
The Patriots will head home to Fairfax to face a four-game weekend series with Binghamton from March 11-12. Both double headers will have the same start times of noon and 2:30 p.m.
