FAIRFAX, Va. – The Hampton University softball team dropped a doubleheader against George Mason on Tuesday at the George Mason Softball Complex, falling 3-1 in the first game before losing the second game 10-2 in five innings.

The Lady Pirates are now 18-21 on the season.

Hampton struck first in the top of the first inning of the first game, taking a 1-0 lead after sophomore Kerissa Burruel (Phoenix, Ariz.) ingled to right field, scoring freshman Taylor McCoy (Riverview, Fla.), who walked earlier in the inning.

The Patriots were held scoreless through the first five innings, before pushing across three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Brooke Blankenship doubled home a pair of runs, before Angela Maioran singled home Blankenship to put George Mason up 3-1.

Hampton had two hits in the first game.

Sophomore Jailynn Jackson (Virginia Beach, Va.) struck out five batters in 5.1 innings of work. She has recorded at least five strikeouts in 17 of her last 22 appearances.

The Lady Pirates also struck early in the second game, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Freshman Diamond Ponds (Riverside, Calif.) got it started with an RBI triple down the left-field line, before stealing home to put Hampton up 2-0.

George Mason scored once in the bottom of the first inning, cutting Hampton's lead to 2-1, before taking a 3-2 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, thanks to a Blankenship RBI single and a throwing error.

Tiffany Webb singled home a run in the fourth, before the Patriots (11-26) broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth with six runs – including a pair of bases-loaded walks.

The Lady Pirates had three hits in the second game.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Saturday, when they head to Washington, D.C. to begin a three-game set against Howard with a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. For more information on Hampton University softball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.