DURHAM, N.C. – The George Mason softball team's historic came to an end on Saturday evening as the Patriots fell to Campbell, 7-1, in the elimination game of the NCAA Regionals at Duke Softball Stadium.
 
Despite the loss, the Patriots (35-24) broke and set numerous records, both as a team and as individuals. Mason excelled on both sides of the ball, setting new records in homeruns, doubles, RBIs, stolen bases, walks and strikeouts, to name a few, while winning the program's first ever Atlantic 10 tournament.
 
"The biggest thing for us is just how proud we are of this group," said head coach Justin Walker." "Being able to produce all year, being able to help rewrite our standard here at George Mason and our softball program. We had a lot of firsts this year. We had a lot of records broken. So, while it sucks in this moment, it has been a super successful year in many ways. Not only on the field, but off the field as well. So, we couldn't be more proud of the girls."
 
PATRIOTS BY THE NUMBERS

• Aly Rayle started and pitched three innings for the Patriots, recording three strikeouts, pushing her season total to an incredible 249, a mark that ranks first in program history for single-season strikeouts
• Sydney Bales led Mason at the plate, going 2-3 with two hits and an RBI
• Rachel Warrens, Elyssa DeRosa and Sydney Blackwell also recorded a hit each for the Patriots

 
The Camels (42-17) took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning as the first four batters got on base. After Claudia Ware walked, the next two Camels knocked in RBI triples which were followed up with an RBI single.
 
The Patriots were able to respond as Elyssa DeRosa advanced to first base by result of being hit by a pitch. Sydney Blackwell then singled to right field, stealing second on the next play. Sydney Bales then stepped up and singled, and on the wild throw, Blackwell was able to get home to cut the lead to 3-1.
 
Despite strong efforts in the field, Mason was not able to completely shut down the Camels offense, as a homerun and several more base hits gave Campbell the 7-1 victory.
 
"For this year, I just really loved how Coach Walker touched on impacting this team, the girls impacted me in so many ways, the coaches impacted me," said catcher Nicole Bechtel. "I hope moving forward, they continue the will and the fight and everything that comes with it. And the fun that I just want them to have for years to come."
 
"It was a pleasure to be part of this, it was amazing playing with this team, said pitcher Aly Rayle. "This year was a really big step for this program and moving it where we want to go in the future. Doing the things that we want this program to do for years to come. Like, making regionals, winning the conference tournament, laying the groundwork for what the standard is for this program. It was a really big step forward, and it was really fun to do it with these girls. They're a great group of girls and we just love each other so much. It was really fun."