Broadside Sports

By Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer

The George Mason University men’s volleyball team beat the Saint Francis Red Flash in five sets on Wednesday, ending a five-match losing streak.

The win came at a good time, as the Patriots are getting closer to the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) quarterfinals.

With the win, Mason improved its record to 3-4 in conference matches. The Patriots are seeded third in the EIVA standings, one win behind the Princeton Tigers.

Mason lead early, having no problem taking the first two sets (30-26, 30-18). The Red Flash came back strong in the third set, outhitting the Patriots in .469. Saint Francis wrapped up the third set with a 10-point difference, 30-20.

The Red Flash kept up the heat in the fourth set, opening with a 5-2 lead. The Patriots picked up their game with help from junior setter Brandon Joyner and junior outside hitter Dave Reilly. But the Patriots could not stop junior Jordan Varee’s attacks, falling short in the fourth set, 30-25.

The Patriots returned for the fifth set determined to win. By serving and attacking aggressively, Mason took the lead 8-6 after two kills by sophomore outside hitter Joe Norton.

The Patriots gained momentum and wrapped up the match 15-10 with a service ace by freshman outside hitter Michael Kvidahl. Mason’s offense was well distributed by freshman setter Javier Perez with 49 assists.

Sophomore opposite hitter Andrew Dentler led the Patriots with 15 kills, followed by junior outside hitter Eric Lucas with 14 kills.

Lucas posted a team-high of 20 digs, along with two service aces. Sophomore middle blocker Lance Rogers and Kvidahl added 13 kills apiece.

Saint Francis was led by Varee with a match-high 24 kills. Varee also tipped in three service aces and 20 digs for the Red Flash. Nick Rivett added 22 kills for the Red Flash.

The Patriots return to the RAC for their final match of the regular schedule.

Mason will face No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions on April 17. The match falls on senior night, and seniors Ben Nichols, Luke Maloney and Ryan Kwiatkowski will be honored before the match.

By Cody Norman, Staff Writer

It took freshman pitcher Nick Kendrick just 17 batters and 49 pitches to get through four scoreless innings of work against the Maryland Terrapins in a 3-1 victory for the George Mason University baseball team on Tuesday afternoon.

Kendrick was in a groove early and retired 12 of the first 16 batters he faced before being hit in the hand with a ground ball off the bat of centerfielder Matt Marquis.

Redshirt junior T.J. O’Grady stepped in and sat the Terrapins down in order during two stellar innings of work before handing the ball back to a freshman, this time Anthony Montefusco, who allowed one run in the final three innings to pick up the save.

Head Coach Bill Brown was impressed with the performance out of his freshman starter and praised his effort after the game.

“[Kendrick] is getting better every time he steps out on the mound,” said Brown. “He works hard and he certainly gave us an opportunity to win the game today.”

Mason scored first in the bottom of the second inning when freshman second baseman Chris Cook plated junior catcher Brett Hendricks on a triple down the right field line.

Employing a little bit of small ball, the Patriots added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to jump out to a 3-0 lead.

Sophomore left fielder Brig Tison began the inning with a single before senior shortstop Ryan Soares was hit by pitch.

Senior third baseman Mark Hill laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third base with one out when junior designated hitter Shane Davis drove Tison home with a single to right field.

Redshirt junior first baseman Dan Palumbo pushed the final run across on a perfectly executed squeeze play.

Maryland plated their first and only run of the afternoon when Dan Gentzler reached second base on a throwing error by Hill and was bunted the rest of the way around the bases in a strange sequence of events.

Montefusco closed the door on the Terrapins in the ninth inning and picked up his second save of the season.

O’Grady earned his first decision of the season as he picked up the victory.

Sitting at 16-9, Brown is happy with the way his team has played thus far this season.

“As long as we continue to pitch the baseball and play good, solid defense, we will be OK,” said Brown. “We’ve done a great job of that so far this season.”

The Patriots will return to action on Tuesday afternoon as they will travel to Farmville, Va. to take on the Longwood Lancers.

By Yasin Jama, Staff Writer

This week, the George Mason University baseball team hosts a series of key games beginning with one against the Maryland Terrapins on Tuesday at 3 p.m., followed by a three-game weekend series versus the Old Dominion Monarchs.

The Patriots have been up and down in 2010. After last season’s appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament and being ranked in the top 25, Mason had to replace some several key players, but that has not prevented the team from going downhill this season.

On Wednesday, Mason put a tally in the win column by defeating the UMBC Golden Retrievers, 19-2. Senior shortstop Ryan Soares led Mason with five RBIs on three hits. Mason will need to continue its hot streak on offense if they want to continue their winning ways against the Terrapins and Monarchs.

With a mediocre start to the season, Maryland sports an 11-15 record as of last Thursday. Maryland has not been known nationally for their baseball program, and they typically finish around .500, year in and year out. However, the Terrapins earned the victory on Wednesday against the Navy Midshipmen, 5-1.

Maryland’s pitching was the difference in the victory. Junior Eric Potter pitched a no-hitter through three innings and had four strikeouts. The Terrapins also added three of the five runs early in the game, led by senior David Poutier’s two-run double in the third inning.

Old Dominion is also struggling this season. They enter the weekend series against the Patriots with a 12-17 record and have lost four of the past five games. The Monarchs’ only victory was their spilt doubleheader against the Georgia State Panthers.

The Monarchs were led by sophomore pitcher Ben Tomchick, who pitched eight innings, give up five hits and recorded nine strikeouts as the Monarchs won the game 6-1.

By Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

Senior starting pitcher Jennifer Connell completed the Georgetown Hoyas’ pitching masterpiece, blanking the George Mason University softball team 4-0 in the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader at the George Mason Softball Complex. The Hoyas mowed through Mason 12-0 in the first game.

With the sweep, the Hoyas improved to 12-16, while Mason lost its third consecutive game to fall to 8-13 on the season.

The Hoyas put on a hit clinic in the first game, totaling 12 runs and 15 hits, led by the team’s top four batters in the lineup.

Senior second baseman Kelsie Hanson logged in three hits while senior shortstop Samantha Peters, sophomore pitcher Mackensey Carter and freshman catcher Shikara Lowe recorded two hits apiece.

Georgetown jumped to a 5-0 lead before Mason could come to the plate. With two runners in scoring position in the first inning, Carter singled to right center to bring in both runners.

After tacking on another run to extend the lead to 3-0, sophomore pinch hitter Jillian Webb knocked in two more runs with a single.

That was all the Hoyas needed as Carter and junior pitcher Melissa Conners gave up a combined one hit and one walk in five innings.

Carter improved to 4-9 after pitching three innings, where she struck out four batters. Conners threw for two perfect innings, needing only two pitches.

Georgetown cashed in three runs in the third inning, two runs in the fourth and two more runs in the fifth.

Sophomore second baseman Tori Dudley registered Mason’s lone hit, a two-out single in the third inning.

Freshman starting pitcher Amanda Buffington took the loss for Mason, throwing a complete game, but giving up 15 hits on 12 runs. She was not helped by the defense’s four errors, leading to six unearned runs.

Sophomore pitcher Miranda Cranford took the hill in the second game, looking to redeem herself from the dismal outing against the James Madison Dukes last Sunday.

Cranford did not give up the big inning, but an error in the second inning led to two runs as Webb blooped a single between freshman second baseman Daria Siwczak and freshman right fielder Kristen Zimmerman.

Freshman pinch runner Lauren Boas Hayes and sophomore first baseman Cara Savarese scored on the play.

The Hoyas continued to put the game out of reach as they scored in the fourth inning on a seeing-eye single from junior right fielder McKinley Cooper and later scored as freshman pinch runner Kelly Cianciotta brought in the Hoyas’
fourth run with a single in the sixth inning.

The Hoyas were helped by their terrific pitching from Connell, who entered the game with 30 strikeouts on the season. Connell had a rate of 2.93 strikeouts per seven innings, but on Wednesday, Connell was the strikeout machine in her 12-strikeout performance.

Connell, who allowed just three hits in the game, struck out the side in both the second and third inning.

The closest the Patriots came to scoring was in the sixth inning when senior center fielder Kate Bustin led off with an infield single. Bustin, who made an outfield assist earlier, was the team’s only runner in scoring position, but Mason was unable to take advantage of the opportunity as Hoyas senior third baseman Demetria Cipriano made a diving stop and threw out sophomore pinch hitter Katie Rynex at first base to end the inning.

Freshman third baseman Jacqueline Harris, who made her first start, ended the game with a lineout.

“I was pumped, excited and nervous all at the same time,” said Harris.

In the opposing dugout, Hoyas Assistant Coach Erica Ayers returned to Fairfax after having served as an assistant coach for the Patriots for the past nine years.

“She’s a great young lady, and we’ve got a great friendship; I love her to death,” said Patriots Head Coach Joe Verbanic.

“It was exciting and fun to watch her win in a new place.”

Wednesday’s doubleheader marked the end of Mason’s 21-game homestand.

After winning four straight against the Morgan State Bears, the Patriots went on to lose six of the next seven games. With a young team, the Patriots continue to search for their identity.

“We’re a team that’s growing up at a highly competitive level in softball at the Division I level,” said Verbanic. “We’re trying to find our identity; I don’t know if we’ve found that yet. We’re trying and we’re playing real hard, but that’s the great question in what our identity is going to be.”

The team traveled to upstate New York to resume its conference schedule against the Hofstra Pride over the weekend.

Mason returns home for a five-game homestand, starting with a doubleheader against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks on Wednesday.

Mason hosts a three-game weekend series against the Towson Tigers.

By Rashad Mulla, Broadside Correspondent

In March, a George Mason University sports team was on the verge of securing a spot in the semifinals of a national tournament. But it is not a team anyone would suspect.

Mason’s cricket team came only a point away from advancing past the preliminary round of the 2010 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from March 17-21.

Although they won their match against last year’s champion Montgomery (Md.) College, tournament rules awarded a point for eliminating all batsmen from the opposing team.

With Montgomery College playing spoiler and switching to a defensive batting style, Mason came up just short.

But while they did not win the 16-team tournament, the national spotlight was a significant step forward for the visibility of cricket on campus.

“Cricket is in demand on campus,” said team manager Mohammad Kashif, a senior chemistry major. “Although Mason does not have the infrastructure for cricket, we can still make do with what we have.”

With limited financial support, Kashif and his fellow cricket enthusiasts have organized multiple high-profiled matches during the past year.

Kashif and Paul Bazzano, assistant director for intramurals and recreational sports, set up an intramural tournament on campus that took place at about the same time as the national championship. The intramural tournament ran from March 17-20.

For students like Kashif, who could not spare the time or money to travel to Florida for a week, this was an intriguing option. Spots filled up quickly, despite the roster size being increased to 20 players for each of the eight teams.

“It was our first ever tournament, so we just wanted to see how much interest there was at an intramural level,” said Kashif, who also captained the powerhouse Kings XI Punjab team, the intramural tournament champion. “All eight teams registered within a day.”

This year’s matches followed last April’s on-campus charity cricket tournament (which Kings XI Punjab also won), sponsored by GMU Lending Hands, a student group that focuses on raising money and providing assistance to those in need. The tournament raised about $500, according to Kashif.

Cricket has been a staple of International Week for more than 15 years, Kashif said.

This exposure is a long way from the pickup cricket games in Mason parking lots and on the Quad between Fenwick Library and SUB I, where students used to play.

“Sooner or later, Mason will probably have an approved cricket team,” Kashif said. “We’re going through the proper channels to see the proper way of doing things. We’re definitely pushing for full-time club status and indoor practice facilities now.”

However, the road to cricket prominence has not been easy and is far from over. The university has faced increasing budget cuts in recent years, prompting individual departments to cut costs.

While student participation has not been a problem, support has been sporadic, due to the lack of an official cricket student group or club sports team on campus.

Cricket players have been turned away from the indoor practice facilities on one occasion, Kashif said, as registered teams have priority.

Funding has also been a major hurdle. Without official status, each of the players on the team that went to the national tournament easily paid upward of $1,000 to compensate for airfare, hotels and training.

“They did not regret it one bit,” Kashif said.

Bazzano made sure such problems would not plague the intramural tournament.

Although the Intercollegiate Athletics Department did not figure the tournament into their annual budget, Bazzano was able to put $1,000 toward the event for equipment, promotion and paid referees — some of whom were Mason alumni.

Bazzano said this would be a trial run to gauge the interest in cricket on campus, and his announcement at the awards ceremony left cricket enthusiasts full of joy.

“This is something we’re going to do every year in the spring from here on out,” said Bazzano, referencing the intramural tournament. “The tournament ran very smoothly and you couldn’t ask for better sportsmanship.”

Bazzano also plans to test out a four-week on-campus cricket season in the fall, followed by playoffs. The equipment he purchased for this semester’s intramural tournament is now available for checkout at the RAC.

“The students really made it happen,” said Bazzano.

By John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor

I watched way too much Comedy Central on Saturday night, when this was written. I consider myself a southern boy and get a kick out everyone on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour (coming on April 24 to the Patriot Center, might I add).

No jokes here, please. I did a Google search for “Larry the Cable Guy Baseball,” and was entertained by “Uncyclopedia” entries and YouTube videos.

Honestly, everyone reading this column should be happy that I eventually stopped rooting for Kyle Busch in the Nashville 300 (he got third place, by the way, after getting his first win as a team owner in the truck series) to write this column for all my beloved readers.

I put down my camouflage Atlanta Braves baseball cap, turned off NASCAR, tried not to move my arms much from my third farmer’s tan of the season and forced myself to think about college sports.

My first thought was: “Wow, I had West Virginia in the championship game . . . and they lost in the Final Four. Well, now my bracket is officially dead.”

My second thought was: “I bet if Larry the Cable Guy would have played baseball in college and could figure out how to use his weight, he could have been like Bob Wickman.”

And finally: “What would the most underrated, redneck sport be here at George Mason University?”

I couldn’t think of anything that involved tractors, rusty wheelbarrows or driving, so all I could think about was racing.
We don’t have football at Mason, where people just beat the crap of each other, so I’m thinking track.

Mason actually has a pretty good track team. While some of the bigger-named sports, such as baseball and softball, don’t maintain as strong of a mark as fans would have hoped, the track team has done well.

The baseball and softball teams have both dropped crucial matches recently. The baseball team needed extra innings to defeat the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks in the second game of the weekend series.

The baseball team dropped a nail-biter after the Seahawks broke the tie in the eighth inning to go on to win the game 5-4. Had Mason won, they would have achieved a three-game sweep over the Seahawks for the first time in 22 years.

Then again, the team is still playing solid baseball with a 15-9 record. The young team will continue to be tested as they host the Old Dominion Monarchs in this weekend’s series.

The softball team is on a six-game losing streak, dropping nine of their last 10 matches; their sole win in the stretch was also their lone conference win, beating the James Madison Dukes by only one run.

The offense continues to struggle to score runs in the recent slide. The team was shut out for the fourth time in the past five games, and the offense has registered only one run in the past 27 innings. It does not help when Hofstra’s freshman pitcher records a perfect game.

The track and field team, however, has done incredibly well. In a split-squad weekend series, 14 marks were IC4A/ECAC qualifying. In addition, new qualifiers made 10 of those marks.

I wrote a feature story a few weeks ago about a sprinter named Rachaunn Ruffin. He has been on fire recently. When I wrote the story, I realized that the sophomore sprinter was a good runner, but the marks that he is putting up have stunned me over the last few weeks.

For instance, at the Raleigh Relays, he earned two IC4A qualifications on his way to clocking first-place finishes in the 100-meter and 200-meter events (a quick note: the 100-meter finish came in the preliminary round, but he did not compete in the finals).

These marks gave him his third CAA Men’s Track Athlete of the Week award.

Needless to say, this runner is the cream of the crop, and is only a sophomore. Time will show his true abilities.
I predict that he will dominate the track in his senior year. If he is dominating this much this year, barring injury, he will be phenomenal in the years to come.

Ja-Vell Bullard is also doing well, breaking his season-best times as the season goes on. At the Pepsi Florida Relays, he also had two qualifying times. This other sophomore sprinter has been constantly improving, and looks to continue his success into the future.

With these athletes leading the team, the Mason track team should be dominating the other runners in the conference for years to come.

There you have it: we run, we win. If only Kyle Busch could do it for me a little more often.

By Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

Senior Becky Anderson does not wear a mask or cape, but she is still a superhero in many respects. Whether pitching on the field for the George Mason University softball team or helping save homeless animals, Anderson exemplifies the key qualities of a student-athlete.

Entering the 2010 season as one of the team’s two seniors, Anderson has played a smaller role on the pitching staff, paving the way for sophomore Miranda Cranford. Averaging 33 appearances in her first three years, Anderson has made six appearances as Mason nears the midway point of the season.

While playing with a group of young pitchers, Anderson is on track for the best season of her collegiate career, sporting a 3-1 record with a 1.36 ERA. Through 36 innings, Anderson has been nearly unhittable, allowing opposing batters to hit just .167 off her. She recently demonstrated her dominance with her perfect game in Mason’s 5-0 win against the Morgan State Bears.

Rhythmically sitting down batters one after another, Anderson had not attained the knowledge of her perfect game until the last inning of her masterpiece.

“During the perfect game, I was just thinking that nobody has gotten hits, nobody has gotten on base,” said Anderson. “I was so focused on that that I didn’t realize it was a perfect game until the fifth inning, until I got the first out.”

Although being one of the team’s key players in its recent past, Anderson infamously led the Colonial Athletic Association for most losses in a season. Anderson entered the season with a 31-53 career record after losing 22 games last season. In 2009, she allowed a conference-worst 104 runs, 65 of which were earned, while finishing eighth in the CAA with a 2.51 ERA. Prior to that year, Anderson achieved a school record of 36 appearances in 201-1/3 innings and posted an impressive 1.95 ERA.

However, Anderson feels that with an improved lineup, comprised of “true ballplayers,” the team has a possible shot at accomplishing its goal of reaching the CAA Tournament.

“We have girls who come out every day that want to work harder than any other team, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes,” said Anderson. “Now, we have a complete team from 1 to 9 to the bench; everybody is just hard-working, and they just want to win.”

Anderson admits that she does not hold a particular tradition, but she does have one big pet peeve.

“I don’t like anyone else touching the ball,” said Anderson. “If the coach gives us a brand new ball all wrapped up, I don’t like when other people unwrap it.”

In addition to excelling on the field, Anderson has been equally skilled as a contributor to the community. Anderson was named one of the top 30 candidates for the 2010 Senior CLASS Award for softball earlier in the year. Being recognized for the award, Anderson has excelled in the four areas: classroom, character, community and competition. She has been involved in a number of events, including Letters 4 Kids, Mason’s Victims Rights 5K Fun Run/Walk and the Hunger and Homelessness Action Week Food Drive.

Anderson, whose interest in helping within the community has been a vital part of her life, shows great passion towards animals. An owner of two rescue dogs, she works at the Friends of Homeless Animals organization in Aldie, Va. to help provide for the shelterless animals.

“I used to want to do something with animals when I was younger, and now it’s just so rewarding working with them,” said Anderson.

In addition to helping animals, Anderson admits that her one unique talent is making balloon animals.

Recognized for being proficient both on the field and in the classroom, Anderson has maintained high marks in her classes.

“It’s definitely important to get the schoolwork in and get the education because we’re student-athletes, not athlete-students,” said Anderson.

Anderson, an accounting major, already has her post-undergraduate career set. She will immediately begin working for a local accounting firm.

Anderson, who does not have a nickname or supernatural identity on the team, is genuinely an individual who is willing to help the team win or help an animal find a home.

By Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer

Today, junior Lindsay Gray is in the pages of Broadside. Tomorrow, she will make headlines in Hollywood.

Casted as one of the top players on the George Mason University women’s tennis team, Gray is an English major with a concentration in non-fiction writing, with a communication minor.

Mason is the first stop on Gray’s journey to the world of entertainment. After graduation, the second stop will be California.

“I want to move out to L.A,” said Gray. “It’s always been a dream of mine since I was little to be out in Hollywood. In the back of my mind, I want to be famous, but I understand that it is a really hard profession. It’s so competitive.”

Gray is heading to California for the summer, where she will be interning for the second time with Dick Clark Productions.

“I feel like getting out there, getting my feet wet,” said Gray. “Interning at Dick Clark Productions sort of gets me in the door a little bit, and [helps in] getting to know what they look for.”

California dreams aside, Gray keeps herself busy during the school year with tennis, academics and extracurricular activities.

Gray is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and is also involved in the National Collegiate Athletic Association recertification committee at Mason.

Gray also finds time to update her weekly blog at http://www.savemoneybethrifty.blogspot.com. She decided to stop using her debit card and go on a cash-only budget.

In her blog, Gray reflects about the budget and gives tips on cost-cutting tactics.

With all of these commitments and the demands of being a student-athlete, managing time is crucial in Gray’s routine.
“I make a lot of to-do lists,” said Gray. “I make lists about making lists, like ‘remember to make a list about your list for this class,’ or ‘make SAAC list.’ Sometimes I stop and think, ‘why am I spending so much time making lists? I need to just go do it.’”

With the Colonial Athletic Association women’s tennis tournament coming up at the end of April, Gray’s schedule will be even busier.

“You have to sacrifice a lot that other people, [like] non-athletes, don’t have to think about . . . as much,” said Gray. “But it is an honor to be able to play a sport for a Division I athletic program.”

Gray has been a key player for the women’s tennis team since her freshman year. She played in the No. 1 position both years and finished last season with a record of 11-12.

This season, Gray has a 12-9 overall record. The team has just logged their 14th win this season, setting a new school record.

Gray started playing tennis when she was 7 years old and fell in love with the sport.

“I definitely want to keep [tennis] in my life, but I’m not sure that I want to train and give up other things,” said Gray. “I love learning, working and being busy, but I’m interested in having a career outside of tennis.”

By Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

George Mason University softball Head Coach Joe Verbanic made a gutsy move in the fifth inning as he waved in freshman first baseman Emily Lafferty to give the Patriots an insurance run.

That run proved to be the eventual game-winning run as Mason held off the James Madison Dukes 6-5 on Saturday afternoon at the George Mason Softball Complex, after losing the matinee game 5-0 in the conference opener.

Despite losing three straight, the Dukes still came into the game as the favored team. After the Saturday split, Mason moved to 8-10 on the season while the Dukes went to 14-17.

Dukes freshman starting pitcher Cara Stecher threw the second complete game shutout of her career, striking out three batters.

Sophomore designated hitter Casey Mansfield had a perfect 3-for-3 day with three RBIs, putting the game away with a two-run single in the sixth inning.

The Patriots, on the other hand, struggled to bring in a run, having a runner reach third base in each of the first six innings. Mason loaded the bases with two outs and came up empty-handed.

“We were a little anxious at the plate, swinging a little bit early and a little bit out of control, but we hung tough in the ballgame and gave ourselves chances to win that [game],” said Verbanic.

Freshman pitcher Amanda Buffington took the hill in the second game and received early run support from the offense. Junior catcher Kara Weiner hit an RBI groundout to bring in Alyssa See from third base, and sophomore third baseman Rachael Davies came in to score after Dukes junior starting pitcher Olivia McPherson threw a wild pitch past junior catcher Katie Spitzer.

Spitzer answered for the Dukes with a solo blast in the second inning, hitting her fifth homerun of the season.

In a pitcher’s duel, McPherson limited the Patriots’ offense to just two hits, but worked into trouble as junior left fielder Stephanie Strother doubled to put runners on second and third base.

Dukes relief pitcher Heather Widener got a ground out to record a forceout at home plate, but sophomore second baseman Tori Dudley drew a walk to give Mason a 3-1 lead. See followed with a walk, extending the lead to 4-1.

The Dukes, entering as the favorites, tallied three runs in the top frame of the fifth inning. Dyson and freshman pinch hitter Haley Johnson got on with back-to-back singles. Sophomore shortstop Ashley Burnham drew the Dukes within two runs with an RBI single, and senior first baseman Shannon Moxey tied the game with a double.

Mason responded in the fifth inning as freshman third baseman Megan Blank scored from first base on Lafferty’s go-ahead double. Lafferty, who only had one official at-bat to go along with her three walks, managed to find a pitch she could hit and drove a pitch from the Dukes freshman relief pitcher Heather Dindinger to left-center field.

“I’ve been seeing the ball well all day, but I got walks out of it and I was due for a hit,” said Lafferty. “[Dindinger] gave me a pretty good pitch in the pitch before [the double] and she brought it to me again, and I was ready.”

Mason added another run on a single from Strother as Lafferty slid home safely to give Mason the 6-4 lead.

“The shortstop was very deep into the outfield,” said Verbanic. “Emily got to third base with some time, and I just felt that they would need to make a real good throw to get her at the plate.”

The Dukes did not go away easily as Dyson double scored freshman center fielder Jasmine Butler to make it a one-run game. In the top of the seventh inning, Burnham got on board with a one-out walk, and on Moxey’s single, Burnham tried to reach third base as See had difficulty picking up the ball.

See still managed to get the ball to Blank, who tagged Burnham out while Moxey advanced to second. Buffington, who kept with the Dukes the whole game, induced a pop-up from Mansfield to end Mason’s four-year drought against the Dukes.

Buffington allowed 10 hits in her complete game win, but while she yielded the five runs, she efficiently threw 80 pitches in the game.

The Patriots recorded only four hits in the latter game, but with the nine walks, the team found a way to score runs.

“We played with so much intensity in the first game; to come back and bring that same fire in the second game, that was really important,” said Lafferty.

In the first game, the Patriots had a runner on third base in each of the first six innings; in the second game, Mason took advantage of the bases loaded situation in the fourth inning with two walks that led to runs.

See walked in all three of her plate appearances, and Dudley and Lafferty each walked twice in the second game.

Strother, who entered the day with just three hits in 24 at-bats, had a multi-hit performance in both games, racking up two hits in each game.
Last year, it took the team 16 attmepts to win its first conference game, but the Patriots defeated a talented Dukes team in the team’s second conference game this year.

Mason ends their 21-game homestand on Wednesday when the team takes on the Georgetown Hoyas with the first pitch at 4 p.m.

By Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer

Some people may have seen the George Mason University Learning Into Future Environments (LIFE) Special Olympics program teams playing during halftime of basketball and soccer games. But only a few people know about the program and its success over the years.

The Mason Special Olympics program started six years ago within the LIFE Program.

Mason LIFE is a four-year program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The LIFE Program has been in existence since 2001.

The curriculum of the program covers a wide range of courses, from communication skills such as reading and writing to interacting and socializing with others.

Mason LIFE’s four-year curriculum includes fitness and sports-related courses.

Although the Mason LIFE curriculum introduces its students to the world of sports, the Special Olympics program has a different approach.
The students enter the world of competitive sports, where team work and companionship lead to success on the court.

“Special Olympics is their only avenue into sports, and [for] teaching them self reliance and camaraderie,” said Head Coach Leo Alonso, one of the three coaches of the Special Olympics program.

By strengthening friendships and building character, the Special Olympics program has grown over the years.

“It started as a three-person pilot program,” said Alonso. “The three kids came from a program at the Paul VI Catholic High School, called Options.”
Now, the program has 25 athletes, divided into three teams: Gold Rush, The Patriots and Mason Nation.

The participants practice every Wednesday at the RAC. The athletes participate in basketball, soccer and track and field competitions throughout the year.

The teams play in five soccer tournaments, five basketball tournaments and only one track and field competition a year.

Special Olympics tournaments are divided in areas and divisions; Mason teams compete in the area 26, Northern Virginia.

By winning the area 26 division games, the team has the chance to compete in the state games.

“Two teams went to state [games] for soccer to Virginia Beach back in November, and they both came home with the gold,” said Alonso. “We usually do pretty good.”

Mason LIFE Special Olympics teams just finished their basketball season a few weeks ago and brought home medals.

The Patriots won the gold medal in their division, and the other two teams each won silver medals.

“State games [for Special Olympics] are no different from the basketball team being [in] the NCAA Tournament,” said Alonso.

Medals and competitions aside, playing a competitive sport brings several benefits for the Special Olympics program athletes.

“I see [changes in the individuals’ behavior] all the time,” said Alonso. “I see the self esteem, how they carry on with themselves. It is incredible how much better [their self esteem] is. Their camaraderie with each other is also very good, which I think helps them getting around on their own, and it will help them in the future.”

The teams are currently practicing for their track and field tournament, which goes until the first week of May.

For more information, visit the Special Olympics Virginia website at http://www.specialolympicsva.org.