DAYTON, Ohio – The George Mason softball team (28-17, 14-6 A-10) lost to Dayton (30-14, 14-3 A-10) in Sunday's series finale by the score of 4-5. Mason lost their first Atlantic 10 series of the season and are currently third in conference standings after this weekend.
 

MASON BY THE NUMBERS

• Nicole Bechtel hit her third straight multi-hit game of the weekend. She finished the weekend going 6-for-7 (.857) with three runs, one double two home runs, eight RBI and four walks.

• Jordan Anderson hit a home run for the third consecutive game this weekend. She finished the weekend going 4-for-9 (.444) with three runs, three home runs and four RBI.

• Over the weekend, five Patriots recorded 3+ hits: Nicole Bechtel (6), Jordan Anderson (4), Marlaina Bozek (3), Rachel Warrens (3) and Haley Taormina (3)

MASON 4, DAYTON 5
Sunday's game was tightly contested until the very end, with Mason stranding the tying run just 60 feet away from the plate. Dayton's starting pitcher Izzy Kemp (7.0 IP 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 9 SO) went the distance and delivered the Flyers the series win. Mason's starter Aly Rayle (4.0 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 3 SO) was handed her second consecutive loss of the weekend. Carly Cooper (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB) also saw action for the Patriots today and pitched a solid two innings in relief.

The Flyers scored first in the bottom of the second inning. After Chloe Wong (2-3, 1 R) led the inning off with a double down the left field line, Kara Gunter (2-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR) hit a home run to give the Flyers a two-run lead. Later in the inning, Emily Daniel (2-3, 2 R) hit an infield single and stole second base during Emma Schutter's (3-3, 1 RBI) at bat. Schutter would then hit a double, scoring Daniel. At the end of the second inning, the Flyers were ahead three runs against the Patriots.

The lead would not last for long, as the Patriots would put up three runs of their own the very next half of the inning. In the top of the third, after Charlotte Montgomery (1-2, 1 R) hit a single and Marlaina Bozek (1-4, 1 R, 1 2B) hit a double, there were runners on second and third. This set up a Nicole Bechtel (2-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB) two-run RBI single through the right side, scoring Montgomery and Bozek.

Later in the inning, Rachel Warrens (0-3, 1 R, 1 SB) reached base on a fielder's choice after the Flyer defense got the lead runner Alena Ball (pinch ran for Bechtel) out with a forceout at second. Warrens would later steal second base, which set up a Maddy Myers (0-3) at bat where Dayton's first baseman committed a fielding error, allowing Warrens to score. At the end of the inning, the Patriots were tied with the Flyers 3-3.

The score remained tied until the bottom of the fourth inning. Dayton's Taylor Erschen (1-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB) hit a two-run home run to left center, scoring Emily Daniel and herself. This was Erschen's second homer and sixth RBI of the weekend.

Carly Cooper would replace Aly Rayle at the start of the fifth inning. The junior made quick work, retiring the side in order.

The Patriots would get one run back in the top of the sixth off a Jordan Anderson home run down the left field line. This was the Alliance, Ohio, native's third home run of the series. Anderson is the only Patriot this season to have homered in every game of a three-game weekend series.

Cooper returned in the bottom of the inning to retain the 4-5 scoreline. After giving up a one-out single to Emma Schutter, Schutter advanced to second on a passed ball. The Patriot defense did not budge after that, as the next out was a comebacker to Cooper that she caught, followed by a ground out to short, sending the game to the top of the seventh.

With two outs in the top of the seventh, Mason's Haley Taormina (1-4, 2B) was down to her last strike. Taormina then connected on Izzy Kemp's pitch, sending the ball to left center. UD Softball Stadium just kept the ball in the field, as it hit off the top of the wall and bounced back into the outfield. Taormina was held to only a stand up double.

Up next to bat was Nicole Bechtel, who the Flyers decided to intentionally walk. However, during Kemp's fourth intentional ball, her pitch sailed over the catcher's head, giving Taormina a chance to advance to third. The tying run was just 60 feet away. Unfortunately for the Patriots, the Flyers were able to strike out the following Patriot, Rachel Warrens, to close the game and take the series.

UP NEXT

The Patriots will come back home to play Georgetown in a single Wednesday game. They will then travel to Saint Louis to face off against the Billikens in a three-game weekend series. After this weekend's games, Saint Louis now holds the top spot in the Atlantic 10, having won their last eight consecutive games. They are now 23-22 overall with a 15-4 conference record.