ITHACA, N.Y. -- After an opening weekend to build on, the Cornell softball team will head south to a familiar place - Fairfax, Va. The Big Red will play two games apiece against both George Mason and Siena as part of the Mason Cherry Blossom Classic.

Cornell is used to making the trip down to Fairfax, having headed south to play in a tournament on the George Mason campus in each of the last 13 seasons (2015 saw weather cancelations), playing 71 games over that span. Over that same time, the Big Red has played 172 games at home.

This year's event will see games against Siena (11 a.m.) and George Mason (3:45 p.m.) on Saturday, March 10, before Sunday contests against the Saints (10 a.m.) and Patriots (12:30 p.m.) at the George Mason Softball Complex.

The Big Red opened the season in DeLand, Fla., going 2-3 at the Stetson Hatter Classic. Cornell won two of its first three games on walk-off grand slams, victimizing Bethune-Cookman by scores of 5-3 and 9-7. Sophomore Bridgette Rooney, who set a school freshman record for home runs in 2017, slammed her first of the year to send Cornell off winners in the season opener. The next morning, it was senior Tori Togashi's turn. The first weekend out didn't slow down Cornell's bats, as the Big Red hit .326 with a .396 on-base percentage.

Headlining the offense was Rebecca Kubena, who was 9-for-10 (.900) at the plate with a pair of runs scored. She was also perfect on 15 fielding chances at second base as the Big Red put together a strong .969 fielding percentage. Kubena was joined on the all-tournament team at the Hatter Classic by Togashi, who hit .500 with five RBI. Megan Murray (.429) and transfer Kate Jencarelli (.500) both hit better than .400 as well. Rooney drove in a team-best six home runs.

In the circle, Katie Lew picked up a pair of wins, including a complete game win over Bethune-Cookman. The Big Red allowed opponents to hit .382 on the weekend with a .470 on-base percentage. All four pitchers threw in at least two games and recorded at least two innings on opening weekend.

With plenty to build on, the Big Red enter a weekend against a couple of longtime rivals. Cornell holds a commanding 25-5 lead in the all-time series against the Saints, though the squads split a doubleheader last April in Ithaca. The Patriots lead the series with the Big Red 17-15, with 30 of those contests occurring in Fairfax. George Mason has won five straight meetings to take the lead in the historical matchup after Cornell had won five-of-six.

At 0-5 on the season, Siena joins the Big Red in having just one weekend outside. It opened at the FIU Classic, dropping contests to Florida International, Michigan State, Boston College and a pair of games to Central Connecticut State. Bill Lajeunesse, the 2013 MAAC Coach of the Year, has guided the Saints to at least 20 wins for seven straight seasons. Jess Vollmenr is off to a hot start, batting .474 while starting all five contests. Siena returns eight members of its starting lineup and its top three pitchers from last year's squad which posted a 21-30 overall record and set a program record with 14 MAAC victories. Madysen Cossack, the 2017 conference Player of the Year, hit .267 in her first weekend out after leading the conference with a .700 slugging percentage and ranking second in average (.379).

George Mason is 5-7 on the year, defeating Monmouth 4-1 this past Sunday in its last outing. Jess Curbeira leads an offense that features four .300 hitters, batting a robust .485 (16-of-38) with eight doubles and 10 total extra-base hits. She has scored eight runs and driven in eight more in 12 games. As a team, the Patriots are hitting .264. Haellie Gordon has set the tone in the circle, going 3-1 with a 1.18 ERA in 23.2 innings of work, striking out 17 with just two walks. Opponents are hitting just .272 as a group, with George Mason pitchers surrendering just 15 walks with 47 strikeouts in 77.0 innings. The Patriots have struggled some in the field early, committing 26 errors in 12 games for a .924 fielding percentage. Longtime head coach Joe Verbanic is in his 13th season in the GMU dugout,