Emmitsburg, Md. (April 22, 2015) – Competing at Our Lady of the Meadows Field for the final time this season, the Mount St. Mary's University softball team picked up a split versus Atlantic-10 opponent George Mason in Wednesday's doubleheader. The Mount took game one, 5-4, but fell by an 8-2 score in game two.

For the Mount (8-28), Morgan Alisauckas (Pottsville, Pa.), Niki Gonzalez (Tucson, Ariz.) and Rachel Teti (Mt. Airy, Md.) registered two RBIs apiece to pace the offense, while Brooke Blankenship hit home runs in both games for the Patriots (18-22).

"It was great to see the girls come out and win the first game in comeback fashion," Mount St. Mary's Head Coach Anna Nagro said. "It was a textbook team win, which is what we have been focusing on all year. Danni (Cummings) and Sam (Lichtner) pitched a great game and once again, we came up with timely hitting."

GAME ONE: Mount St. Mary's 5 – George Mason 4

Mount St. Mary's spotted George Mason three runs in the first inning, but was able to battle back to tie the game in the fifth and score the game-winning run in the sixth in a 5-4 victory.

The Patriots jumped on the Mount right off the bat when Blankenship nailed a three-run home run to left in the top of the first after George Mason's first two batters reached base.

Gonzalez got the Mountaineers back in the game with a two-run double down the leftfield line in the bottom of the third inning. The base knock scored Jessica Greenewald (Morrisville, Pa.), who led off with a walk, and Alisauckas, who was hit by a pitch two batters later.

George Mason added a run in the top of the fourth to take a 4-2 edge when McKenzie Jones led off with a triple to right center, and Liz Seymour knocked her home with an RBI groundout.

After back-to-back walks to begin the fifth inning for the Mount, Alisauckas delivered a clutch double to the fence in left center, allowing Greenewald and Megan Baker (Waynesboro, Pa.) to touch home to level the scoring at 4-4.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, Baker came up with a sacrifice fly to center field for the go-ahead run.

Sam Lichtner (Morgantown, Pa.) hurled three scoreless innings in relief to earn her third win of the season. Lichtner fanned two batters and gave up just two hits. The Mount's starter, Danni Cummings (Owings, Md.) yielded four runs, three of which were earned, in four innings.

For the Patriots, game one reliever Christina Gabriele took the loss with two earned runs on three hits in 2.0 innings of work.

GAME TWO: George Mason 8 – Mount St. Mary's 2

The Mountaineers again dug themselves a 3-0 hole in the top of the first inning, and were never able to recover in an 8-2 game two defeat.

Just like in game one, Blankenship blasted a three-run home run in the top of the first inning to give the Patriots a 3-0 advantage. The Mount was quick to respond with Teti's two-run double in the bottom of the frame to score Greenewald and Baker.

Blankenship knocked in another run as part of a two-run second for George Mason to extend the lead to 5-2. The Patriots went on to add one run in the fifth and two in the sixth to pull away.

The Mountaineers managed four hits in game two with two apiece coming off of Gabriele, who started for the Patriots, and two off of Casey Herring, who picked up the win out of the bullpen with 4.2 scoreless innings.

Mount starter Marian Ruf (Mesa, Ariz.) tossed 5.0 innings, giving up three earned runs on nine hits before Lichtner went the final 2.0 innings with no earned runs on three hits. 

UP NEXT: The Mount heads to New York for a pair of Northeast Conference doubleheaders this weekend. After taking on Wagner on Saturday, April 25, the Mountaineers conclude the weekend with a twinbill at LIU Brooklyn on Sunday, April 26.

-- Mount St. Mary's University Athletics --