May 28, 2004

Box Score

Wilmington, N.C. - This time, the George Mason baseball team didn't wait until the ninth inning to put a big number on the board.

With two outs in the third inning, the Patriots unleashed an offensive explosion that produced eight runs and allowed Mason to eliminate Virginia Commonwealth, 11-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association Baseball Tournament in Wilmington, N.C. The Patriots will face the loser of Friday afternoon's UNC Wilmington-Delaware game on Friday at 7 p.m.

The game was tied 1-1 when the Patriots loaded the bases behind Bruce Baldwin and Jeff Palumbo singles and a Matt Cooksey walk. After Chris Looze struck out on a 3-2 pitch and Nick Shimer did the same on a 2-2 pitch, Adam Innerst took a 2-2 fastball to right-center field, plating three runs. That opened the flood gates as Kyle Barrett was hit by a pitch and Robby Jacobsen followed with a two-run double. Jimmy Freund singled home Jacobsen, Baldwin tripled to score Freund and Jeff Palumbo singled to bring home Baldwin. Cooksey popped out to end the inning.

The Patriots added two more in the sixth as Baldwin led off with a single, Palumbio reached on an error and Cooksey singled to load the bases. After a Looze pop out, Shimer singled to bring home Baldwin and Innerst sacrificed to center to push across Palumbo.

The Rams scored a pair of unearned runs in the ninth but it only delayed the inevitable as Brent Hitz threw 146 pitches in the complete game victory. The sophomore improved to 6-0 on the year after allowing one earned run, a solo homer by Scott Sizemore in the third, eight hits and four walks while striking out five. Virginia Commonwealth's Harold Mozingo, the CAA Rookie of the Year, was saddled with the loss. He was 7-4 on the year but he allowed nine runs, eight of them earned, on seven hits and three walks in three innings.

The Patriots had taken a 1-0 lead in the first when Matt Cooksey walked, stole second, went to third on a foul popout by Looze and scored on a throwing error by Robbie Gragnani. Bruce Baldwin was 4 for 4 with an RBI and three runs while Palumbo was for 5 with one RBI and two runs. Palumbo is now hitting .209 on the season. Looze was 0 for 5 on the day and finished the season 0 for 14 against VCU. In his career, he is 1 for 32 against the Rams.

Sizemore was 3 for 5 with three RBI for VCY. Pete Farina and Trai Harris each added two hits while Anthony Granato was 1 for 5. The Rams committed five errors in the game but nine of the 11 George Mason runs were earned.

Josh Morrison (7-4) takes the mound for the Patriots in Friday night's game. As a starter this year, he is 3-0 with a 0.47 ERA, one complete game and one combined shutout.