FAIRFAX, Va. – Vanessa Cardoza (Santa Ana, Calif./Ocean View) had a team-best four hits and Sydney Underhill (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) hurled a complete-game shutout as the Monmouth University softball team split a pair of games to conclude play in the Mason Invitational Sunday. The Hawks fell to Cornell, 8-7, to open the day before shutting out George Mason, 3-0. With the split, the Hawks move to 4-5, while the Big Red is now 3-5 and the Patriots are 4-8. The Hawks went 3-2 on the weekend, going 2-1 against host George Mason and 1-1 against Cornell.

Cardoza went 4-for-9 with a run scored, while Justene Reyes (Carson, Calif./Warren), Kayleena Flores (Atwater, Calif./Buhach Colony) and Alicia DeSanto (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) had three hits each. Flores contributed a double, a triple, a run scored and two RBI's, while DeSanto had a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Jill Freese (Oxford, Pa./Oxford Area) added two hits, including a grand slam against Cornell. Kaitie Schumacher (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch) had a hit and two runs scored, while Shannon Fitzgerald (Santa Clarita, Calif./Valencia) had an RBI single. Nikki Sandelier (Turnersville, N.J./Washington Township) also contributed a single and a run scored.

Underhill took both the win and the loss Sunday. All told, she allowed five earned runs on eight hits and four walks in nine innings pitched. She struck out five, all against George Mason. Breanna Sniffen (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange [St. Petersburg College]) also pitched five innings Sunday against Cornell, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and two walks.

In the first game against Cornell, the Hawks fell behind, 3-0, as the Big Red scored two in the first and another in the second. The first Big Red run scored on a Meg Parker double, while the second came in on a wild pitch. Lauren Bucolo doubled in Cornell's third run in the second inning.

The Hawks erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the third. Sandelier singled down the left field line to lead off the inning, before moving to second on a groundout and scoring on a DeSanto double. DeSanto moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an error. A Flores infield single and Rachel Shotzbarger (Saugus, Calif./Saugus) walk loaded the bases for Freese, who blasted a grand slam to give the Hawks a 6-3 lead. Monmouth would tack on a seventh run in the inning. Schumacher reached on a two-base error and scored on Fitzgerald's single through the left side.

Underhill replaced Sniffen in the circle and gave up a single run in the fourth and four more in the fifth. Parker's solo homer with two outs in the fourth cut the Hawks' lead to 7-4, before a hit-by-pitch, walk and single loaded the bases with no outs to begin the fifth. A wild pitch made it 7-5, before another walk reloaded the bases. A run-scoring fielder's choice at third base scored another run and put runners on first and second with one out and Monmouth clinging to a 7-6 lead. The runners moved up to second and third on a groundout, before Jenny Edwards hit what proved to be the game-winning two-out, two-run single through the left side.

The Hawks got at least two runners on base in each of their last three innings at the plate, but couldn't score the tying run. The Big Red got a strikeout to end the fifth and a double-play ball to end the sixth. Monmouth loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh, but Parker got consecutive strikeouts and a flyout to end the game.   

Against George Mason, the Hawks got on the board in the second without benefit of a hit. Schumacher reached on a one-out error, stole second, took third on a groundout and scored on another error. The lead extended to 3-0 on Flores' two-run double in the fifth. DeSanto, Cardoza and Reyes led off the inning with consecutive singles before Flores doubled to score two.

The lead would be more than enough for Underhill, who went the distance for the complete-game shutout. She allowed just four hits and two walks, while striking out five.

The Hawks play their home opener Tuesday, when they welcome Hampton to MU Softball Park. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.