ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell softball returns to the field this weekend, heading to Fairfax, Va. for the George Mason Invitational. The Big Red will face four teams over three days in Virginia, first meeting Buffalo on Friday, March 6 at 5:30 p.m. Cornell takes the field twice on day two of the invitational, meeting Hofstra at 2:30 p.m. and George Mason at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. Round out the invitational is a game against Canisius at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 8.
 
George Mason will provide live stats for every Cornell softball game this weekend, but live streaming is not available. Live stats can be found on George Mason's website, here.
 
Cornell has been out of action since its trip to Madeira Beach, Fla. for The Spring Games on Feb. 21-23. In Florida, the Big Red went 2-3 with wins over Albany (12-5) and Merrimack (10-6). Cornell played close to Georgetown (3-2) and Manhattan (5-3) in narrow losses that saw the Big Red rally in the late innings. A two-run seventh inning rally against Georgetown wasn't enough as a two-out bases loaded fly-out ended Cornell's threat. Cornell tied Manhattan at 3-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but Manhattan hit a walk-off home run to send the Big Red packing.
 
Offensively, the Big Red is led by senior Bridgette Rooney, who earned the Ivy League's first Player of the Week honor of the season following a performance in Florida that saw her hit .667 (10-of-15) with four extra-base hits, three RBI and seven runs scored. Emily McKinney, Olivia Rooney and Celia Macari are all hitting .300 or better for Cornell. Hanna Crist is the team-leader in home runs (2) and RBI (5).
 
In the circle, Ashley Delany, Gabrielle Maday, Mia Burd and Katie Lew have all made appearances. Delany has been effective out of the bullpen with a 2.10 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP over 6.2 innings pitched. Burd and Maday have seen early success in the circle as freshman, with Burd striking out 10 in her Big Red debut against Albany. Maday is second on the team in ERA with a 2.86 mark over 7.1 innings pitched in two starts. Cornell looks to showcase improvements on the defensive side this weekend after the team committed five errors in the opening weekend, which can be expected of a cold-weather team get its first taste of game action for the season.
 
Cornell opens its weekend on Friday, March 6 against Buffalo (2-7), who has lost six straight games prior to the invitational. The Bulls own wins over UT Martin and Grambling State at the Lion Classic, but have been defeated by Southeastern Louisiana (2x), Alabama State, UMass, Oakland, Maryland Eastern Shore and USC Upstate. Buffalo has supposed to play at The Spring Games from Feb. 28 - March 1, but had its five-game slate cancelled due to concerns regarding inclement weather. The Bulls haven't seen game action since Feb. 16. Anna Aguon (.370) and Olivia Kincanon (.357) are the two regular Buffalo starters hitting over .300 for the season. Madelyn Hickingbottom (3.87 ERA) and Alexis Lucyshyn (4.08 ERA) have made all of the starts in circle for the Bulls, with Hickingbottom tossing four complete games.
 
Hofstra is Cornell's second opponent of the weekend and the first of two opponents for the Big Red on Saturday, March 7. The Pride is 2-11 so far this season and have lost six straight games. Hofstra opened its season at the Stanford Invitational where it picked up its first win over the season over Drake (5-3). The Pride had a pair of games canceled at Florida Atlantic's Strikeout Cancer Tournament, but still managed a win over the Owls (9-3). Hofstra was swept at the Liberty Spring Classic last week, losing to Butler, Liberty, Penn, Yale and East Carolina. Hitting has been an issue for the Bulls, who's leader hitter, Jordan Pietrzykoski, owns a .265 batting average as one of two batter hitting better than .250. Three different pitchers have made starts for Hofstra led by Madison Burns and Nikki Mullin making a majority of the appearances. Burns leads the team in innings (32.2) alongside a 3.86 ERA.
 
Cornell meets host George Mason in its second game on Saturday. The Patriots are 3-11 in 2020 and also riding a losing stretch, having lost two straight. This is the second invitational that George Mason has hosted this season, playing to a 2-2 record at the Patriot Classic with a pair of five inning wins over Lafayette. George Mason has also made appearances at Sam Houston State's Bearkat Classic and the Stetson Hatter Roundup. Taylor Dadig is the top hitter for the Patriots with a .364 batting average on 12-of-33 hitting in 13 starts. Meghan Graham is second on the team in batting with a .324 average. George Mason has started 17 different players in the field this season as it looks to find its best possible lineup. Marina Vitalich is the top pitcher for the Patriots, owning a 4.41 ERA over 33.1 innings pitched. Haellie Gordon (6.39 ERA) and Bekah Ansbro (7.00 ERA) have also made starts for George Mason.
 
The Big Red will wrap up its weekend against Canisius on Sunday, Feb. 8. Canisius owns the best record of any opponent Cornell will face this weekend at 5-8. The Golden Griffins have posted wins over Gardner-Webb, Maryland Eastern Shore, Youngstown State, North Dakota and Yale. Canisius has enjoyed warm weather all season, playing games in San Jose, Calif., Santa Clara, Calif, and Boiling Springs, N.C. The Golden Griffins have made early season tournament appearances at the Gardner-Webb tournament, and the Silicon Valley Classic. Canisius has hit well despite its record, with six starters batting over .333. Lauren Castro leads the team with a .389 batting average, seven extra-base hits and six RBI. Canisius is also a threat on the basepaths with 20 stolen bases to date, led by Kara Paradowski's five. Pitching has been inconsistent for the Golden Griffins with all starters posting ERA's above 4.00. Of its primary starters, Alexis Churchill leads the team with a 4.08 ERA over 24 innings pitcher, followed by Emily Nicosia's 4.52 ERA in 26.1 innings.