April 19, 2008

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

NEWARK, Del. - The George Mason softball team fell prey to a powerful offensive attack from the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens in the first game of their doubleheader, but bounced back with a 3-1 victory over Delaware to earn a split on the first day of the two teams' Colonial Athletic Association series. Delaware (19-18, 4-10) defeated the Patriots 9-1 in five innings, while Mason (16-26, 5-8) responded with a 3-1 victory in the second game.

Sophomore Becky Anderson (13-12) started both games for Mason, and followed up a rough outing in the first game with a two-hit complete game victory in the second, allowing one run while striking out five. Delaware's Anne Marie Pagano (11-7) and Samantha Shawn (8-10) both pitched complete games in the win and the loss, respectively.

In the first game, Mason managed just three hits off of Pagano, as sophomores Ciera Jones and Ashli Breau along with senior Katlyn Winter each recorded singles. UD was led by a two-hit game by Katie DeSalvo.

Delaware scored the day's first run in the bottom of the opening frame on a RBI double by Michelle Grap. The Blue Hen lead increased to two an inning later, as a Patriot error allowed Egan to score. UD plated five runs in the third inning to put the game out of reach though, as the Blue Hens batted around and opened up a 7-0 advantage. They punctuated their offense with two runs in the fourth on back-to-back bases-loaded groundouts.

Mason prevented the shutout in the top of the fifth, when junior Ali Bryan's RBI groundout scored classmate Meghan Hill from third base.

While the Blue Hens scored early and often in the opener, the reverse was the case in the second game of the day. Mason took a two-run lead in the third inning on a pair of RBI base hits by junior Kelsey Mack and Jones. Mack led the offense with a 2-for-3 outing, while Jones powered the offense with two RBIs.

The runs would be all the offense that Anderson would need, as she shut down the Blue Hens through six innings, while Mason added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on Jones's second RBI of the game.

Her no-hitter bid was broken up in the bottom of the seventh, though, as Borchers led off with a single to right-center field. She came around to score on a Mason error with one out, but Anderson fanned the final two Delaware batters to preserve the win.

Mason will try for its second-straight CAA series victory on Sunday when the two teams do battle at 12 p.m.