GEORGE MASON SOFTBALL (7-15) @ NC STATE (14-8, 1-5 ACC)
WHEN: Tues., March 12, 2024 @ 6 p.m.
WHERE: Raleigh, N.C. | Dail Softball Stadium
HISTORY: NC State leads series 1-0; last played on
March 7, 2017 (L, 4-0)
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WATCH (ACCNX): CLICK HERE
RALEIGH, N.C. – The George Mason softball team (7-15) will travel to Dail Softball Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., for the first time and play against NC State (14-8, 1-5 ACC) in a single game on Tuesday, March 12, scheduled for 6 p.m.
A LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS
Mason played over the weekend at the Beach Chicken Brawl in Conway, S.C., where they lost to Coastal Carolina, Boston and Ohio.
In
Friday's doubleheader, the Patriots dropped their opening game to Boston 5-1. Freshman
Emily Lampela (.244 / .286 / .356) hit her first collegiate home run in the bottom of the second inning to level the game. Also in the game, senior infielder
Marlaina Bozek (.310 / .333 / .394) extended her hitting streak to nine games with a single. Her streak would be snapped, however, in the Coastal Carolina game later in the day.
In the second game, Coastal Carolina, the tournament host, blanked the Patriots 7-0.
Saturday in Conway saw rains that caused the tournament schedule to be moved around, such as
canceling the Coastal Carolina game and rescheduling it for the following day. The only game played on Saturday was against
Boston, where the Patriots lost 2-0.
The final day of the tournament saw an
early morning doubleheader that started with Ohio, followed by Coastal Carolina. In the Ohio game, the Patriots took the lead twice, once in the first inning and again in the fourth. Mason first scored in the top of the first with a
Maddy Myers (.279 / .338 / .353) RBI single, but the Bobcats responded in the bottom half of the inning with a run of their own. Myers would go on to hit a game-high 3-for-3 and record an RBI.
After the Patriots retook the lead again with an
Emily Lampela fielder's choice, the Bobcats were able to score three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to secure a 4-2 win from the Patriots.
In the final game of the weekend, Mason faced the tournament hosts for the second time, where they were shut out for a second time. The Patriots and Chanticleers held each other scoreless for the first two innings, but Coastal Carolina broke the game open with a three-run third inning, followed by a one-run fourth inning and a two-run fifth.
PATRIOT STAT LEADERS
BATTING
AVG: .362 (25-for-69) -
Rachel Warrens
OBP: .392 -
Rachel Warrens
SLG: .507 -
Rachel Warrens
R: 13 -
Rachel Warrens
H: 25 -
Rachel Warrens
2B: 6 -
Rachel Warrens
3B: 2 -
Rachel Warrens
HR: 1 -
Sydney Bales,
Kamryn Inman,
Logan Pickford,
Maddy Myers &
Emily Lampela
RBI: 13 -
Maddy Myers
SB: 11 -
Rachel Warrens
PITCHING
ERA: 2.94 -
Kylie Wilkerson
IP: 61.0 -
Carly Cooper
K: 33 -
Carly Cooper
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
NC STATE WOLFPACK (14-8, 1-5 ACC)
The Wolfpack started Atlantic Coastal Conference play last week, where they won their first game against then-#8/9 Clemson in an upset victory.
Since then, they have lost their next five games, including the following two to Clemson and a three-game sweep to Georgia Tech. With their 1-5 conference record and their 14-8 overall record, the Wolfpack are in eighth place in the ACC standings.
Redshirt sophomore Michele Tarpey (.417 / .508 / .521) leads the team in batting average and on-base percentage, but the Wolfpack hit for power and it shows in their three strongest hitters.
Junior Taylor Ensley (.373 / .493 / .814) and sophomore Amanda Hasler (.313 / .390 / .672) share the team lead with seven home runs on the season, but Ensley has the team's highest slugging percentage and leads the team in RBI with 21. Right behind the two heavy-hitters with six homers is sophomore Makayla Marbury (.355 / .438 / .742), who also has the second-highest slugging percentage.
On the pitching side, redshirt senior Aisha Weixlmann (5-2, 3.22 ERA, 1 SV) leads the pitching staff with five wins, 41 strikeouts and 45.2 innings pitched. The second-most used pitcher is sophomore Madison Inscoe (3-3, 2.98 ERA, 1 SV), who has 40.0 innings pitched and 27 strikeouts. The third pitcher on the staff is sophomore Rylee Wyman (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1 SV), who has the second-most strikeouts with 29.
The Patriots and Wolfpack have only met once prior to Tuesday's game, but this will be the first time the Patriots will travel to Raleigh. In their first meeting, the Mason fell to NC State 4-0 in Fairfax on
March 7, 2017.
TEAM STAT COMPARISONS: Mason (22 games played) | NC State (22 games played)
BATTING
AVG: .240 | .293
OBP: .300 | .401
SLG: .314 | .495
R: 75 | 114
H: 136 | 154
2B: 19 | 24
3B: 4 | 5
HR: 5 | 24
RBI: 62 | 111
PITCHING
ERA: 3.33 | 3.45
K: 75 | 106
R: 95 | 93
ER: 70 | 69
H: 176 | 127
2B: 18 | 18
3B: 5 | 4
HR: 13 | 14
FIELDING
FLD: .948 | .951
PO: 441 | 420
A: 155 | 141
E: 33 | 29
UP NEXT
The Patriots will return home to open Atlantic 10 Conference play with Dayton on March 16-17. Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for noon and 2:30 and Sunday's finale will start at noon.
