March 4, 2004
Box Score
BLACKSBURG, Va. - The George Mason University baseball team rode the pitching of junior Stacen Gant to a 4-2 victory over Virginia Tech at English Field on Thursday. The win improves the Patriots to 6-1 on the season.
Tech (2-3) got to Gant for two runs on four hits in the first inning, but managed just two hits the rest of the game. Third baseman Chris Stanton (Centreville, Va.) tripled off Gant to open the bottom of the first inning for the Hokies. Stanton scored on a one-out single by freshman left fielder Matt Foley (Lansdowne, Va.). One batter later, junior catcher Wyatt Toregas (Ashburn, Va.) singled home Foley.
Gant settled down in the second inning. After Tech center fielder Sheldon Adams (Big Stone Gap, Va.) reached on an error to begin the inning, the junior right-hander retired 16 consecutive Tech batters before first baseman David McDonald (Phoenix, Ariz.) reached on an infield single in the seventh inning. Gant, who struck out one batter and did not issue a walk, pitched eight full innings to earn his third win without a loss. Mike Puckli pitched the ninth inning, hitting a batter and walking a batter before recording the final two outs for his second save of the year.
George Mason took advantage of a lead-off walk to third baseman Nick Shimer, a single by designated hitter Adam Innerst and a run-producing groundout from second baseman Jimmy Freund to score a run in the second inning. The Patriots tied the score with the help of a pair of Tech errors in the third inning. GMU took the lead an inning later when catcher Robby Jacobsen tripled, then came home on a sacrifice fly by Freund. Left fielder Josh Campbell added a big insurance run in the seventh with a solo home run to left field.
Pitchers Andrew Wells (Alexandria, Va.) and Brett Cory (Midlothian, Va.) kept Tech in the game during the last six innings, retiring 18 of George Mason's last 21 batters. Wells (1-1) started and pitched seven full innings, giving up six hits and four runs, three of which were earned. He fanned four batters and walked one. Cory allowed one hit and struck out a pair of batters during his two innings on the mound.
George Mason will return to action this weekend when it opens its home schedule with a three-game set against Canisius (0-3). The Patriots will play a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at Noon, and one game on Sunday at 1 p.m. Jake Glanzmann (1-0, 2.45 ERA) and Eric Gibbons (1-1, 4.15 ERA) will get the starts for George Mason on Saturday and they will face Dennis Wellman (0-1, 24.50 ERA) and Jordan Neufeld (0-1, 18.00). On Sunday, the Patriots will send Josh Morrison (1-0, 8.53 ERA) to the mound and he will be opposed by Matt Clingersmith (0-1, 16.62 ERA).
