FIRST PITCH
After a tough weekend at the Liberty Spring Classic, Hofstra will head back to Virginia for the Mason Invitational where the Pride will play four games against four different opponents. The Invitational will take place from Friday, March 6 to Sunday, March 8.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, March 6:
Hofstra (V) vs. Canisius (H) – 3:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 7:
Hofstra (H) vs. Buffalo (V) – 10 a.m.
Hofstra (V) vs. Cornell (H) – 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 8:
Hofstra (V) vs. George Mason (H) – 2:15 p.m.

HOW TO WATCH
Live statistics will be available for all five games. There will be no live video this weekend provided by George Mason. The link to watch live stats is available at the top of this release and on the Hofstra Softball schedule page on gohofstra.com.

ABOUT THE HOFSTRA PRIDE (2-11)
Hofstra is heading to the Mason Invitational coming off an 0-5 weekend at the Liberty Spring Classic. During that stretch, senior Alexis Goeke hit .308 to lead Hofstra while freshman Jordan Pietrzykoski scatted a team-high five hits and five RBI, including a three-run home run, the first home run of her collegiate career. Inside the circle, freshman Nikki Mullin pitched 13.1 innings while recording seen strikeouts while sophomore Madison Burns tossed 10.0 innings with four strikeouts.
 
This season, Pietrzykoski and Goeke have a team-high nine hits, while freshman Lindsay Hay has three hits. Pietrzykoski and freshman Lindsay Hay also have six RBI to lead the team. Inside the circle, Burns and Mullin lead the team with 32.2 and 32.0 innings pitched, respectively, while the two have combined for 27 strikeouts.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS

Canisius Golden Griffins (5-8, 0-0 MAAC)
Canisius did not play last weekend, but in the weekend prior, the Golden Griffins posted a 2-3 record at the Silicon Valley Classic in Santa Clara, California. Lauren Castro is batting .389 to lead Canisius and also has driven in six runs. Ashley Barnett leads the squad with eight RBI. Inside the circle, Alexis Churchill and Emily Nicosia have done most of the pitching, while Churchill leads with 16 strikeouts.
 
Buffalo Bulls (2-7, 0-0 MAC)
Buffalo is entering the tournament on a six-game losing streak. The Bulls had its last tournament cancelled due to weather, but during the last time out, Buffalo suffered all four decisions at the Upstate Classic. Anna Aguon leads the team with a .370 batting average, while Olivia Kincanon follows hitting .357. Buffalo's go-to arms inside the circle are Madelyn Hickingbottom (3.87 ERA) and Alexis Lucyshyn (4.08 ERA).
 
Cornell Big Red (2-3)
Cornell has only played in one tournament so far and earned wins against Albany and Merrimack. Bridgette Rooney is the hitter to watch out for as she is batting .667 so far to lead the team with 10 hits. Hanna Crist has driven in five runs which leads the team. Cornell uses a rotation of four pitchers, but Mia Burd has seen the most time with 11.2 innings pitched and 12 strikeouts.

George Mason Patriots (3-11, 0-0 A10)
George Mason is hosting its second-straight tournament, and posted a 2-2 record at its own Patriot Classic last weekend. Two players are hitting over .300 including Taylor Dadig (.364) and Meghan Graham (.324). Adriana Erickson leads the squad with eight RBI. Three pitchers see a majority of time inside the circle for the Patriots including Marina Vitalich (4.41 ERA), Haellie Gordon (6.39 ERA) and Bekan Ahsbro (7.00 ERA).

UP NEXT
Following the Mason Invitational, Hofstra will return to New York and play in its home opener on Tuesday, March 10 against UConn. First pitch at Bill Edwards Stadium is set for 2 p.m.