GAME RESULT
Saint Louis 9, George Mason 1 (5 innings)
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Billiken Sports Center
St. Louis, Mo.
 
THE BASICS
Saint Louis maintained its hold on first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference and captured a 12th consecutive victory Sunday afternoon, defeating George Mason 9-1 in five innings on Senior Day at the Billiken Sports Center.
 
The Billikens (27-22, 18-4 A-10) extended their school record for longest overall winning streak; set another school mark with an 11th straight victory in A-10 regular-season play; and tied school records for conference wins (18) and consecutive home wins (nine).
 
In addition, the Bills' 12-game winning streak ties Oregon for the fifth-longest active streak in NCAA Division I softball.
 
Abby Mallo drove in three runs to break Allie Macfarlane's Saint Louis single-season RBI record of 50, which Macfarlane set in 2015 and matched in 2017. Mallo now has a league-leading 52 RBI.
 
Winning pitcher Chloe Wendling became just the second Billiken to register 20 victories in a season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
•George Mason got on the board first with a first-inning run.
•The Patriots loaded the bases in the second, but Wendling worked out of the jam with no damage.
•In the Billiken third inning, Mallo's RBI single tied the score and Kelsey Etling's two-run double made it 3-1 Saint Louis.
•The Bills took firm command with a four-run fourth. The first two runs scored on an error, and Mallo followed with her team-leading 12th home run of the season, a two-run shot.
•Jocelyn Abbott doubled in a run in the fifth to put SLU on the brink of a run-rule victory. Following Cami Newbanks' sacrifice, Abbott scored the winning tally on Chloe Rhine's sacrifice fly – giving the Billikens a walk-off win in all three games of the series.
 
BILLIKEN NOTABLES
•Wendling scattered five hits and struck out five. Her 20 wins lead the A-10.
•Etling and Abbott added a single apiece to join Mallo in the two-hit column.
•Gabbie Kowalik doubled.
•Rhine collected a single.
 
UP NEXT
The Billikens conclude the regular season with a three-game A-10 series at Rhode Island May 6-7.