March 9, 2004

Box Score

Raleigh, N.C. - Some observers outside of Fairfax, Va. might have thought that the George Mason baseball team's 9-1 start was more a result of the teams they had faced than their talent. On Tuesday afternoon, they showed that they are very much for real.

The Patriots defeated nationally-ranked North Carolina State on Tuesday, easily downing the Wolfpack, 5-2. Starter Stacen Gant was superb, not allowing a run until two outs in the eighth, when his 115 pitches caught up with him. He still allowed just two earned runs, two walks and six hits while striking out nine in seven and two-third innings.

The Wolfpack, ranked No. 23 by Collegiate Baseball, lost their third straight game after a 10-0 start. They had been ranked in Baseball America's top-25 poll every week until Monday's rankings, fresh off N.C. State's 1-2 performance in a weekend series at San Diego State.

On Tuesday, Gant continued to keep the Wolfpack (10-3) off balance, striking out the side in order in the first, including the first to batters looking. Both Gant and N.C. State starter Phillip Davidson allowed one hit but faced the minimum through two innings. That's when the Patriots (10-1) broke through for the first runs of the game.

Robby Jacobsen and Jimmy Freund had back-to-back singles and an error on Josh Campbell's sacrifice bunt loaded the bases with one out. Davidson was poised to get out of the inning after back-to-back strikeouts, but Bruce Baldwin made him pay with a two-run single to center to make it 2-0.

In the sixth, Baldwin led off the inning with a walk, Nick Shimer was hit by a pitch and Adam Innerst walked to load the bases with one out. Jacobsen's sacrifice fly made it 3-0 but that's all the Patriots could muster.

The seventh saw Campbell lead off with his second double of the game and he later scored on a Jeff Palumbo single to make it 4-0. Nick Shimer's one-out homer in the eighth made it a comfortable 5-0 lead.

Gant (4-0), meanwhile, had been on cruise control. He faced the minimum through four and allowed no runner to third until the eighth. He allowed the leadoff batter to reach twice and both times he got double plays to help himself out of the jam. In the fifth, a leadoff double and a walk put two runners on with no outs but a popup to Shimer at third made it one out and a grounder to third allowed Shimer to turn a 5-3 double play. In the seventh, a leadoff single was followed by a sensational play by Jeff Palumbo allowing the Patriots to turn a 6-4-3 double play, and a strikeout ended the inning.

In the eighth, a single, a strikeout, a single and a strikeout made it two on with two outs and a walk loaded the bases as the Wolfpack mounted their only rally of the game. A double by Nick Camp made it 5-2 and that was the end of Gant's day. Mike Puckli came in and got a weak ground out to end the inning. He struck out two in the ninth for his third saveof the year.

Gant had entered the game allowing opponents to bat just .202. The Wolfpack hit just .200 against him and struggled to hit his breaking pitch. He has struck out 25 batters in 29.2 innings pitched but saw his ERA rise to 2.12 for the year. Campbell, the CAA Rookie of the Week for the week ending March 7, was 2 for 2 with a run, Campbell was 1 for 3 with an RBI and Baldwin was 1 for 3 with two RBI. Shimer's homer was his fourth of the year, tying him for the team lead with Robby Jacobsen.

The two teams face again on Wednesday at 2 p.m. as they conclude their two-game set. Jason Mills (0-0, 9.00 ERA) gets his first start of the year. He has pitched just once, allowing one run in one inning on three hits with two strikeouts. Derek McKee will make his first start of the year for N.C. State. The fifth-year senior is coming off a shoulder injury and he has pitched just once this year, going two innings and allowing no runs and one hit with four strikeouts.