GEORGE MASON SOFTBALL (12-26, 3-9 A-10) @ MASSACHUSETTS (11-24, 7-5 A-10)
WHEN: Sat.-Sun., April 13-14, 2024
WHERE: Amherst, Mass. | Sortino Field
SCHEDULE:
Saturday Game One: Noon
Saturday Game Two: 2:30 p.m.
Sunday: Noon
HISTORY: UMass leads the series 9-6; last played on May 5-6, 2023 (Mason won the series 2-1)

LIVESTATS:
SATURDAY GAME ONE: CLICK HERE
SATURDAY GAME TWO: CLICK HERE
SUNDAY: CLICK HERE

WATCH (ESPN+):
SATURDAY GAME ONE: CLICK HERE
SATURDAY GAME TWO: CLICK HERE
SUNDAY: CLICK HERE

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AMHERST, Mass. – The George Mason softball team (12-26, 3-9 A-10) will travel to Amherst this weekend, as they will take on UMass (11-24, 7-5 A-10) in a three-game series at Sortino Field. Starting this weekend, the rest of the regular season schedule for the Patriots will be against Atlantic 10 opponents.

A LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS
On Wednesday afternoon, Mason battled Georgetown in Fairfax which ended in an extra inning walk-off win for the Patriots for the second year in a row. It was also the Patriots' final non-conference game of the season, where they finished with a 9-17 record. 

Starting pitcher Carly Cooper (5-12, 3.88 ERA) went seven innings and struck out a career-high 10 batters. It was also the second time this season in which Cooper did not allow a walk in the game.

The score would remain 1-1 going into extra innings. In the top of the eighth inning, Jordan Tallman (3-5, 6.00 ERA, 1 SV) tossed a 1-2-3 perfect inning on eight pitches. In the bottom half of the frame, leadoff hitter Maddy Myers (.252 / .317 / .348 ) hit her first-career walk-off home run to left. Tallman was credited with her third win of the season and the Patriots snapped a five-game losing skid.

PATRIOT STAT LEADERS
BATTING
AVG: .347 (41-for-118) - Rachel Warrens
OBP: .409 - Rachel Warrens
SLG: .508 - Rachel Warrens
R: 23 - Rachel Warrens
H: 41 - Rachel Warrens
2B: 10 - Rachel Warrens
3B: 3 - Rachel Warrens
HR: 3 - Maddy Myers & Logan Pickford
RBI: 17 - Maddy Myers
SB: 16 - Rachel Warrens
BB: 14 - Kamryn Inman & Marlaina Bozek

PITCHING
ERA: 3.88 - Carly Cooper (Among starters)
IP: 108.1 - Carly Cooper
K: 70 - Carly Cooper

A-10 AWARDS THIS SEASON
Feb. 27 - Kylie Wilkerson (Rookie of the Week)
March 5 - Marlaina Bozek (Player of the Week)
April 2 - Carly Cooper (Pitcher of the Week)

NOTABLE STATS/STREAKS/AWARDS
Marlaina Bozek (.298 / .369 / .404), who in her three starts last weekend against conference foe Saint Joseph's, led the team in hits (5), batting average (.556), on-base percentage (.636) and slugging percentage (1.000). The Washington, Pa., native was also tied for the team lead in runs scored (2), RBI (2) and doubles (1). Bozek hit her first home run of the season in Sunday's game.

Elyssa DeRosa (.291 / .346 / .325) is currently on a three-game hitting streak, dating back to Game Two of the Saint Joseph's doubleheader on April 6. It is the longest hitting streak on the team.

Cooper's 10 strikeouts against Georgetown is the most in a single game in her career, surpassing her seven strikeout game on March 13, 2022.
 
Myers's walk-off home run on Wednesday was the first of her career. The graduate student first baseman is now tied for the team lead in home runs this year with sophomore catcher Logan Pickford (.181 / .234 / .347).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

UMASS MINUTEWOMEN (11-24, 7-5 A-10)
Chosen to finish ninth out of ten in the conference in this year's Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll, the Minutewomen have won 11 games in total and are currently sitting in fifth place with a 7-5 conference record. Mason, on the other hand, is in ninth with a 3-9 record.

UMass started in-conference play by losing two of three at Saint Louis, followed by winning two of three against Fordham. They then swept St. Bonaventure in a three-game series and lost two of three in their most recent conference matchup against Dayton.

In their latest game, the Minutewomen played at Boston and lost 2-0 to the Terriers on Wednesday. 

The UMass offense is largely powered by three seniors. Outfielder Chloe Whittier (.309 / .447 / .412) has the team's highest batting average and on-base percentage. Infielder Bella Pantoja (.301 / .344 / .389) has the team's second-highest batting average and has the most hits and doubles with 34 and 10, respectively. 

Finally, the strongest bat on the Minutewomen offense belongs to utility player Sarah Keagy (.227 / .333 / .466), who has the highest slugging percentage as well as the most home runs (6) and RBI (18) on the team.

The pitching is split almost evenly between sophomore Natalee Horton (4-9, 4.26 ERA, 1 SV) and junior Julianne Bolton (6-9, 4.42 ERA, 1 SV). Both having appeared in 20 games, Horton has 12 starts, 92.0 innings pitched, 81 strikeouts and holds the lowest ERA of 4.26, while Bolton has 16 starts, pitched 99.2 innings, 83 strikeouts and has the most wins on the staff with six.

Two other Minutewomen have seen action in the circle this season. Senior Jenna Bradley (1-3, 7.92 ERA) has appeared in 10 games, started in three and has nine strikeouts on 20.1 innings pitched. Finally, freshman Hannah Streicher (0-3, 8.84 ERA) has started in four of her six appearances and has one strikeout in 12.2 innings of work.

HISTORY WITH THE MINUTEWOMEN
Mason has matched up with UMass 15 times, with the Minutewomen having a 9-6 series edge over the Patriots. Their first meeting was March 21-22, 2015, where the Patriots won two of three in Fairfax.

This will be the first time Mason will play UMass at Amherst since May 5, 2018, when the Minutewomen won both Saturday doubleheader games. That regular season ended when the subsequent Sunday game was canceled due to rain.

The last time the two schools met was last season on May 5-6, when the Patriots won two of three in Fairfax on Senior Day weekend.

TEAM STAT COMPARISONS: Mason (38 games played) | UMass (35 games played)
BATTING
AVG: .238 | .222
OBP: .309 | .316
SLG: .334 | .317
R: 129 | 113
H: 231 | 200
2B: 39 | 34
3B: 6 | 2
HR: 14 | 16
RBI: 112 | 98
BB: 90 | 91

PITCHING
ERA: 4.08 | 4.92
K: 139 | 174
BB: 117 | 108
R: 184 | 186
ER: 146 | 158
H: 300 | 290
2B: 39 | 55
3B: 10 | 8
HR: 28 | 17

FIELDING
FLD: .956 | .954
PO: 751 | 674
A: 291 | 268
E: 48 | 45

UP NEXT
Mason will play their rescheduled doubleheader at George Washington on Tuesday, April 16, starting at noon.

The Patriots will then host Saint Louis in a three-game weekend series starting on Saturday, April 20, and concluding the following day. Saturday will be a doubleheader starting at noon, and Sunday's finale will be slated for a noon first pitch.