FAIRFAX, Va. — Howard University softball (24-15) fell 4-1 to George Mason (25-20)  Wednesday evening at GMU Softball Compex.

Senior outfielder Maryn Jordan (San Diego, CA) set the tone at the top of the lineup, going 2-for-3 with a double to pace the Bison offense. Junior Angel Riggins (San Diego, CA) provided a spark off the bench, finishing 1-for-2 with a double and scoring Howard's only run.

After trailing 2-0 through four innings, the Bison broke through in the fifth. Following Riggins' double, freshman Aniyah Whipper (Elk Grove, CA) delivered with a clutch RBI single through the left side to bring Riggins home and cut the deficit.

George Mason responded in the sixth, capitalizing on a pair of errors to extend the lead. The Patriots added two runs in the frame to pull away to a final score of four.

In the circle, sophomore Aiko Conaway (Haymarket, VA) took the loss, allowing two runs over three innings while striking out two. Seniors Destiny Calloway (Evington, VA) and Julia Holt (Tucson, AZ) combined in relief.

Howard continued to apply pressure late, highlighted by a double from senior Zafirah Doss (Hayward, CA) in the seventh, but the comeback effort fell short.

Howard returns home for the finale series of the regular season when they face Norfolk State Saturday, April 25, in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The series finale is slated for Senior Day,  Sunday, April 26 at Noon.

For more information, visit the official Howard University Athletics website at www.hubison.com.