Senior Ashleigh Barber picked up two wins on the mound this weekend.

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University softball team (5-11) reached the semifinals of the George Mason Patriot Classic Sunday, but lost to host George Mason, 4-3.

The Purple Eagles reached the semifinals when they beat St. Francis (N.Y.), 5-1 and lost to UMBC, 6-5, on Saturday. As the fourth seed Sunday, Niagara avenged its loss to UMBC with a 7-2 victory that put it into the semifinal game against George Mason.

In the Purple Eagles’ win over St. Franics (N.Y.), senior Cheryl Julicher (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville North) was 2 for 3 and sophomore Shannon Mongalise (Bethel Park, Pa.) had three stolen bases. Senior Ashleigh Barber (Kelowna, B.C.) picked up the win.

Niagara lost its game with UMBC on an error in the bottom of the seventh. Julicher was 2 for 3 and junior Jamie Horn (Youngstown, N.Y./Lewiston-Porter) was 2 for 4. In the second meeting, Barber picked up her second win of the season on the mound, throwing a two-hitter. Freshman Lisa Baker (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca) was 2 for 4 with two runs. Julicher continues her solid hitting, going 2 for 3 with two runs, and Horn hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning.

In Sunday’s action against George Mason, the Purple Eagles rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning. Baker had three hits, including a one-run single while seniors Colleen Larson (Beiseker, Alberta) and Lauren Dombrowski (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) added a RBI single. The Patriots tied the game in their half of the fourth inning before hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning for the winning margin.

Niagara returns to action March 26 when it plays Maryland-Eastern Shore in Radford, Va., in the Radford Highlander Softball Classic.