March 9, 2003
Box Score
FAIRFAX, VA ... Freshman Nick Prosise broke open a close game with a grand slam home run in the bottom of the eighth inning as George Mason defeated Cornell in the first game of a non-conference college baseball doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Raymond H. "Hap" Spuhler Field, then freshman Jason Mills allowed just two hits over five innings to pace the Patriots to a 6-2 victory in the second contest.
George Mason swept the three-game series (winning 5-1 on Saturday) to improve to 4-4, while Cornell, which was opening its 2003 campaign, fell to 0-3.
Prosise cleared the center-field wall with his first home run of the season to break open a 6-4 game in the eighth inning of the first game and give the Patriots some breathing room. He was 2-5 with five runs batted in, adding a run-scoring single in the third.
Mason took a 2-0 lead into the third inning as sophomore Matt Cooksey (2-4) scored a run in each of the first two frames, scoring in the second on a wild pitch after a two-out triple. Cornell got a run in the top of the third on sophomore Matt Miller's sacrifice fly, but the Patriots added two in their half of the inning as sophomore Chris Looze and senior Evan Howard (2-4, 2 RBI) hit back-to-back doubles before Prosise added his single.
The Big Red got runs in the fourth and fifth, with senior Paul Hudson's single driving in a run in the fourth and senior Jim Jackson scoring on an error in the fifth, to close the margin to 4-3. But Mason got a run in the bottom of the fifth on junior Kyle Barrett's run-scoring single and countered Cornell's run in the sixth with one of their own for a 6-4 lead heading into the eighth. After Prosise's grand slam, the Patriots got their final run as Barrett hit a sacrifice fly.
Sophomore Jake Glanzmann (1-1) earned the victory in the first game, allowing four hits while walking five and striking out a career-best nine batters in six innings. Junior Chris Schutt (0-1) allowed eight hits and five runs in five innings while also striking out nine for Cornell.
In the second game, the Big Red plated an unearned run in the top of the first inning as freshman Seth Gordon was hit by pitch, went to second on an errant pickoff throw and scored on a two-out single by junior Glenn Morris. Mason countered with two in the first as junior Jeff Palumbo (2-3) singled to drive in Cooksey (3-4) after a double, then Palumbo came home on a pair of balks. Junior Nick Shimer (2-3) and Looze each hit home runs, Looze with a two-run shot, and junior Bruce Baldwin added a run-scoring single in the third as the Patriots built a 6-1 lead.
Meanwhile, Mills (1-0) settled in to his first collegiate start and retired 10 straight batters before freshman Matt Goodson led off the fifth with a solo home run. Mills allowed just two hits, walked none and struck out six in five innings. Dan Baysinger (0-1), who gave up nine hits and six runs in four-plus innings, took the loss for Cornell.
George Mason travels to Coastal Carolina for games Tuesday and Wednesday at 3 p.m. The Patriots will be back at home to host Marist March 14-16, with games set for 2:30 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
