ITHACA, N.Y. – For the second straight weekend, the Cornell softball team will head to George Mason for a weekend tournament. It is also hoping to turn around a trend in Fairfax, Va., of alternating wins and losses when the Big Red plays in the George Mason Invitational.
Cornell is 11-12 in its last 23 games at George Mason tournaments and has split a pair of games on 15 of its last 17 dates in Fairfax. The Big Red will look to build momentum with a five-game set over three days against George Mason and Monmouth beginning with a matchup against the Patriots on Friday, March 7 at 6 p.m. at the GMU Sports Complex.
The Big Red will also face George Mason on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday at 11:15 a.m., while meeting Monmouth on Saturday at 12:15 p.m. and on Sunday at 9 a.m.
Cornell went 2-2 in its first weekend outside, collecting a pair of wins over the host Patriots and two losses against Army. Several Big Red hitters got off to hot starts, led by senior Christina Vilallon. Vilallon hit .545 (6-of-11), while sophomore
Leanne Iannucci was 2-for-6 with a home run and three RBI. The Big Red hit .263 as a team, but without ace starter
Alyson Onyon, posted a 6.70 team ERA in the circle. Both
Sammy Roth and
Meg Parker each picked up wins for Cornell. The Big Red was solid in the field, committing just three errors in its four games and posting a .972 fielding percentage.
Cornell swept the Patriots with 4-2 and 4-3 decisions to improve its record in the all-time series to 15-12. George Mason is 0-6 on the young season, though five of its six losses have come by two runs or less. The Patriots have allowed opponents to hit just .248 in its six games and its pitchers have posted a solid 2.84 ERA in 37.0 innings, but has struggled at the plate. Despite returning 15 position players from last year's 14-37 squad, GMU has struggled with a .176 batting average with four extra-base hits and seven total runs scored in six games. Head coach Joe Verbanic is in his eighth season in the George Mason dugout. The Big Red holds a narrow 13-12 edge in the all-time series, including winning last year's last contest 3-0 in March.
Monmouth brings a 1-3 record into the weekend and will attempt to continue its unbeaten streak against the Big Red after capturing the first two meetings between the programs. The Hawks are hitting .277 as a team and fielding at a .936 clip with a 7.00 team ERA. Kayleena Flores (.545, 3 RBI) and Jill Freese (.571, 2 RBI) lead the way at the plate in the early going and 2012 NEC Player of the Year Katie Schumacher is also a key cog in the offense. Breanna Sniffen has picked up the team's lone win in the circle as part of an 8-6 victory over Norfolk State, while Sydney Underhill leads the team in ERA, appearances, strikeouts and innings pitched. She also saved the lone win. Fifth year head coach Louie Berndt has guided Monmouth to a pair of 30-win seasons, including a 31-16 finish a year ago. The Hawks placed third in the Northeast Conference a year ago.
