The softball team started off its season with four straight wins against Marist College, Bucknell University and George Mason University this weekend in Fairfax, Va. On Saturday, the Red defeated Marist, 10-1, and Bucknell, 10-6, then followed up with a 6-1 win over Bucknell and a 2-1 win over George Mason. Big sticks came from senior infielders Alyson Intihar, Elise Menaker, Vanessa Leonard and freshman outfielder Kristen Towne, along with pitching from juniors Elizabeth Dalrymple and Ali Tomlinson to put the Red on top.

The first victory on Saturday came for the Red (4-0) in five innings after it blasted six runs in the third inning against Marist (1-3). Senior infielder Ashley Garvey knocked in the first two runs with a double in the first to allow the Red to take an early lead.

“It felt like we picked up where we left off last year,” Garvey said. “We had the same momentum and that was definitely a good feeling.” Sunday morning: Senior shortstop Alyson Intihar was 3-for-3 with a run scored against Bucknell on Sunday afternoon. - By: Dan Salisbury

The Red’s first four batters in the lineup are returning seniors, which Garvey explained contributed to the flow.

Then, in the third, Towne hit her first career home run to make it 4-0. But the Red didn’t let up there; a two-run single by Menaker and then another two-run double from Garvey made it 8-0. In the fourth, the Red tacked on two more runs with a triple from junior outfielder Marissa Amiraian and a run-scoring groundout from freshman infielder Erin Belles. Dalrymple pitched a solid four innings with eight strikeouts and held the Red Foxes to three hits, while sophomore Jenna Stoller finished pitching for the fifth.

The following two games against the Bison of Bucknell (2-2) showed the defensive and offensive power of the Red. Tomlinson threw five innings the first game and held the Bison to two runs on five hits. The Red took a two-run lead in the first, and exploded with an additional five runs in the fifth. Menaker homered to start the rally in the fifth, followed by a double from sophomore Shannon Crane to score another run. Amiraian doubled as well to add on another two runs, and then continued to round the bases on an error by the Bison.

Towne tripled in the sixth inning for two RBIs and pushed the Red to a 10-4 lead going into the last inning. Sophomore Lauren Marx threw the last two innings, allowing four runs on five hits to close it out for the Red on Saturday.

“It felt good to get things rolling and we want to keep things rolling this way,” said senior third basemen Elise Menaker. About the first weekend, she noted, “It felt like we were getting into a groove and that is definitely a good thing.”

Dalrymple threw a complete game against Bucknell on Sunday, allowing only six hits and striking out 11. The Red’s bats took a 1-0 lead in the second with an RBI single from Crane. The Red later proceeded to score in the last three innings. In the fifth, Menaker singled to score Amiraian and make it 2-0; in the sixth, Belles knocked one in with an RBI single up the middle. The Red added on three more in the seventh with RBI singles from Towne, sophomore catcher Erica Gaeta and Leonhard.

The last game of the weekend was a close one for the Red as the team defeated George Mason by only one run. George Mason took a one-run lead in the first inning, and it was not until the fifth that the Red responded. In the top of the fifth, the Red loaded the bases with singles from sophomore infielder Erin Keene, Amiraian and Intihar. Menaker then grounded to second, and an error from the Patriots allowed two runs to score, giving the Red a 2-1 lead. Marx pitched four innings with one unearned run scored. Tomlinson threw three innings to pick up the save.

“It was an exciting start to see everyone contribute and know that we have so many options,” Dalrymple said. “It was exciting to see how much depth we have batting and on the field, and to see our winter hard work start to pay off.”

The Red will look to extend its winning streak this weekend when it returns to Virginia for the Mason Cherry Blossom Classic. There, the Red will face Niagara, Albany, Mount Saint Mary’s and George Mason once again.