GEORGE MASON (22-15, 8-4 ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE) vs GEORGE WASHINGTON (13-17, 4-8 ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE)
GAME PROGRAM: Click Here
WHEN: Wednesday, April 12; 2 p.m. & 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. | George Mason Softball Complex
WATCH: Game One | Game Two
LIVESTATS: Click Here
HISTORY: George Washington leads the all-time series 22-12; Last met April 16th and 19th, 2022 - Mason won one of three
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason softball team (22-15, 8-4 A-10) will start their five-game home stand by hosting A-10 rival George Washington (13-17, 4-8 A-10) on Wednesday, April 12. Played in the George Mason Softball Complex, the first game of the Revolutionary Rivalry will be at 2 p.m., while the second game of the doubleheader will be at 4:30 p.m.
In the Atlantic 10 conference, Mason has the most wins with 22. The Patriots' 8-4-3 Atlantic 10 Conference record currently puts them in second place; Loyola Chicago (14-18, 8-4) is in third place, while Dayton (21-13, 7-2) still holds the top spot in the conference.
Also in the conference, the Patriots are first in fielding (.913), third in pitching ERA (2.94) and third in batting (.285). Individually, senior Haley Taormina (.351 / .423 / .640) leads the conference in doubles (15) and sacrifice flies (3). She is also second in RBI (34), just one shy of sharing the lead with Abby Mallo of Saint Louis. Rookie Elyssa DeRosa (.400 / .495 / .682) is first in the triples category with seven. Finally, senior shortstop Rachel Warrens (.291 / .360 / .445) leads the conference in stolen bases (24).
Nationally, the Patriots as a team are ranked fourth in stolen bases per game (2.95). Individually, left fielder Elyssa DeRosa leads the nation in triples (7) and is second in triples per game (0.21). Third baseman Haley Taormina, on the other hand, is third in the nation in doubles (15).
A LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS
The Patriots went 3-1 last week. They beat Towson 7-1 in Wednesday's single matchup, and won their fourth conference series, winning two of three against St. Bonaventure this past weekend.
Graduate student Aly Rayle (10-5, 2.50 ERA) went 1-1 over the weekend. She collected her tenth win of the season while also pitching her seventh complete-game victory. Despite losing Saturday's game to St. Bonaventure, Rayle matched her season-high of 11 strikeouts in one game. She would tally six more in her Sunday win against the Bonnies. Rayle now has 131 strikeouts on the season.
Rachel Warrens led the team last week in hits (8), average (8-14, .571) home runs (1), RBI (6) and stolen bases (3). Two other Patriots hit .500; center fielder Charlotte Montgomery went 6-for-12 with three runs and two RBI, and second baseman Marlaina Bozek went 8-for-16 with five runs, one double, two triples and two RBI.
Nicole Bechtel has now successfully recorded a hit in 12 of her last 13 games. In that 13 game span, she leads the team in hits (19), average (.422), doubles (6) and RBI (12).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The George Washington Colonials have won two of the their last six games and are currently on a two game winning streak. They were swept by Dayton On April 1-2, and won two of three against Saint Joseph's (13-19, 5-6 A-10). They have started their A-10 campaign with a record of 4-8, and they are currently in eighth place in conference standings.
Graduate student infielder Arizona Ritchie (.333 / .404 / .417) leads the team in runs (22), hits (32) and average (.333). Junior utility player Abby Schaub (.284 / .365 / .405) leads the team in RBI with 20. Not far behind is freshman outfielder Ashley Corpuz (.278 / .431 / .582), who has 19 RBI and a team-leading four home runs. Corpuz also leads the Colonials in doubles (12).
Two other Colonials have double-digit RBI totals this season. Senior utility player Maggie Greco (.281 / .447 / .453) has 13 RBI, and freshman catcher/utility player Reese Torres (.230 / .376 / .446) has ten RBI.
On the pitching side, all three pitchers are freshmen. Rose Cano 11-10, 2.92 ERA) has seen the most action, pitching 124.2 innings and striking out a team-leading 66 batters. Emma Fales (1-5, 6.35 ERA) has seen the second most action this season, pitching 43 innings and striking out 13 batters. Finally, Lilly Hanafin (1-2, 3.30 ERA) has pitched 23.1 innings and has the second-most strikeouts on the team with 15.
TEAM STAT COMPARISONS: Mason (37 games played) | George Washington (30 games played)
BATTING
AVG: .285 | .257
OBP: .367 | .358
SLG: .415 | .386
R: 174 | 117
H: 271 | 186
2B: 56 | 44
3B: 16 | 5
HR: 12 | 13
RBI: 147 | 109
PITCHING
ERA: 2.94 | 3.74
SO: 219 | 94
R: 124 | 144
ER: 105 | 141
H: 210 | 102
2B: 42 | 35
3B: 11 | 4
HR: 17 | 12
HISTORY WITH THE COLONIALS
The last time these two schools met was last season on April 19, 2022, when Mason lost to George Washington 1-5 away in Washington, D.C. Three days prior, on April 16th, the Patriots split a doubleheader in Washington, D.C.
UP NEXT
The Patriots will continue their. home stand this weekend, hosting A-10 foe Saint Joseph's in a three-game series. Saturday will feature a doubleheader starting at noon, while Sunday's single game will start at noon as well.
