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DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Dayton softball team is set to leave for the second half of its eight-game road swing as the Flyers will play two Atlantic 10 Conference games this weekend at both George Mason and George Washington. UD and GMU will square off in a single game both Friday and Saturday while Dayton will take on George Washington in a doubleheader on Sunday.

ABOUT THE FLYERS
Dayton (20-26, 4-8 A-10) is coming off a split doubleheader Monday at Youngstown State, dropping the first game 5-3 and reversing roles by taking the second game 5-3. The Flyers have hit the 20-win mark, making it head coach Cara LaPlaca's fifth 20-win season over her seven years at the helm of the program. UD is currently in seventh place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings, one spot out of qualifying for the league's post-season tournament.

Senior Alysha Isaacson leads the team and the Atlantic 10 with a .419 average at the plate and ranks second in the league with a team-best 13 doubles. Junior Tiffany Ricks has tallied a team-high 56 hits (1st A-10) while also leading the team with 36 runs, 36 RBI (3rd A-10), nine home runs (t-3rd A-10) and 94 total bases (2nd A-10). Senior Kasi Vazquez has knocked out eight home runs, has taken a team-leading 26 bases on balls and has been hit seven times. In the circle, sophomore Emily Froment holds the team's low ERA at 4.47 while senior Kayla English has recorded a team-best 109 strikeouts (3rd A-10).

SCOUTING GEORGE MASON
George Mason (21-16, 5-5 A-10) picked up back-to-back shutouts over Maryland Eastern Shore on Wednesday in non-conference action at home. The Patriots are riding a six-game winning streak and have won nine of their last 12 games, including taking two from Atlantic 10 foes Rhode Island (Apr. 18) and George Washington (Apr. 9). GMU's Tiffany Webb leads the team offensively with a .416 average to go with 47 hits. Anna Blessing is the team's ace in the circle with a team-low 2.13 ERA and an 8-5 win-loss record.

SCOUTING GEORGE WASHINGTON
George Washington (16-27-1, 2-8 A-10) is currently suffering a four-game losing streak and has lost eight of its last 10 games. The Colonials last took the field on April 22 against cross-town foe Georgetown, falling 5-4 in a close one against the Hoyas. GWU will square off against Saint Louis April 24-25 before hosting the Flyers for Senior Day on April 26. The Colonials are led by Megan Linn offensively with a .357 average to go with a team-best 51 hits and 35 runs. Meghan Rico is the squad's top hurler with a team-low ERA of 4.09 to go with 143 strikeouts.

SERIES STUFF
Dayton and George Mason have only played one game against each other heading into Friday. The only time the two teams met was in 1992 when the Flyers bested the Patriots.
UD holds the slight edge over George Washington all-time with an overall record of 11-10. In their series last year, GW swept UD with 4-0 and 6-0 victories. They met again in the Atlantic 10 Tournament where Dayton was defeated, 2-1.

LAST TIME OUT
The Flyers traveled to Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday where they played a doubleheader against Youngstown State. The Flyers lost the first game, 5-3, but bounced back in the second game to win by the same margin, 5-3. Senior Rachel Archer had a solid day at the plate, going 3-for-6, while senior Alysha Isaacson drove home the game-winning runs in the final inning of the second game, an inning in which Dayton scored all five of its runs. Junior Lyndsey Diggs picked up the win in a relief effort and freshman Gabrielle Snyder recorded her third save of the season in the nightcap.

THE COUNTDOWN TO 436 ... 19 AWAY
Junior right-handed pitcher Kayla English is only 19 K's away from setting a new Dayton career records for strikeouts. The current record holder, Sara Hatcher, finished her career at Dayton with 435 K's and English is right behind her in the all-time standings with 417 in just under three complete seasons at UD.

FIVE FLYERS ABOVE .300, WELCOMING MARIANO BACK TO THE CLUB
Five players for the Flyers are currently hitting above the .300 mark, including senior Alysha Isaacson who is topping out at .419 to lead the A-10. Junior Tiffany Ricks is second on the team with her average of .371 and senior Rachel Archer is behind her at .365. Freshman Gabrielle Snyder does double duty with her .312 batting average to go with her 5.01 ERA. Junior Natalie Mariano hits at a .301 clip and is riding a four-game hitting streak, returning her back to the .300 club.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
Senior Alysha Isaacson has recorded a hit in 12 of the last 14 games. Over the last 14 contests, Isaacson has gone 20-for-44 (.455) at the plate with seven doubles and two home runs while batting in 14 runs and scoring eight runs herself. During this stretch, she has posted a .520 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging percentage. Additionally, Isaacson has twice been named the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week this season.

I'M GETTING ON
Junior Natalie Mariano has safely reached base in 18 consecutive games, a streak that bests senior Rachel Archer's season-best streak of 14 consecutive games of reaching base earlier this season. Senior Alysha Isaacson is next with an active on-base streak of 10 consecutive games.

LEAGUE LEADERS
Several Flyers rank among the top five in the Atlantic 10 Conference in several categories, including senior Alysha Isaacson who leads the league with a batting average of .419. Junior Tiffany Ricks tops the league with 56 hits and 151 at bats while ranking tied for first in total bases (94), second in runs (36) and tied for second in home runs (9). Senior Rachel Archer is second in the A-10 with 54 hits, tied for second in at bats (148) and fourth with 16 steal attempts. Senior Kasi Vazquez is tied for second in the league with 26 walks and her eight home runs in tied for fifth. Junior Natalie Mariano is tied for the lead in the conference with nine sacrifice bunts and is second with 171 plate appearances while senior Alysha Isaacson is tied for second in doubles with 13.

ALMOST PERFECT
Junior Kayla English recorded her first career no-hitter on March 27 in a 9-0 win at Wright State. She allowed only one base-runner, a walk late in the game, as she faced only 19 batters over sixth innings pitched and recorded five strikeouts on the night.

UD PICKED TO FINISH SIXTH IN A-10
Dayton softball has been chosen to finish sixth in Atlantic 10 play this season, according to the preseason poll conducted by the league's 10 head coaches. Dayton tallied a school-record 12 wins in league action in 2013 and made the program's fifth appearance in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship - coach LaPlaca's second appearance in the post-season tournament in the last three seasons. She guided her team to a 22-24 overall record - the program's best winning percentage (.478) since 2005 - and a 12-9 mark in league action. The Flyers finished the 2013 regular season in sixth place in conference standings.
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