March 15, 2005

Box Score

Conway. S.C. - The George Mason baseball team continued an unfortunate trend on Tuesday afternoon, a trend it will have to wait a year to reverse as Coastal Carolina once made the Patriots regret a trip to Conway, S.C. as the Chanticleers defeated Mason 9-4 in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader. Coastal scored seven times in the bottom of the sixth, six of those runs unearned as Mason has now dropped eight straight and 19 of 21 to the Chanticleers. Coastal leads the all-time series 22-6.

Mason wasted a tremendous performance from freshman Jared Petrovich, who made the first start of his career. Petrovich pitched five-plus innings and allowed just two hits and two walks but earned a no decision.

The Patriots were able to avoid a second straight shutout quickly with a run in the top of the first. Matt York led off the game with a double to center, Matt Cooksey followed with an infield hit and Chris Looze grounded into a double play which allowed York to advance to third. Chris Fournier's grounder to Aaron Verrett was booted and York came home with the game's first run.

Coastal rebounded with its first hits of the game in the bottom of the fifth and they used those, and a walk, to take a 2-1 lead. Costanzo led off the inning with a walk, breaking a stretch of eight straight retired by Petrovich. Adam Pernasilici followed with the first hit by a collegian off of Petrovich, a single to left. Aaron Verrett was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Adam Vrable's double play grounder scored Costanzo to tie the game at 1-1. Josh Eachues followed with a single to left to give Coastal (15-3) the lead.

Mason retook the lead in the sixth, scoring three times with two outs. First, Looze hit a solo home run to tie the game, his third of the year. Fournier followed with a walk and Robby Jacobsen's double scored him with the go-ahead run. Casey Slattery walked to bring Adam Innerst to the plate and the senior leftfielder singled home Jacobsen to make it 4-2.

Petrovich came out to start the sixth with the lead but after he walked the leadoff batter, Dom Duggan on a borderline pitch, he was lifted for reliever Phil Stone. Stone quickly got Chris Todd to ground a ball to Fournier at third, but Fournier booted the ball and both runners were safe. Jon Foisy sacrificed the runners into scoring position and Costanzo again tied the game, this time with a two-run double to left-center. After a groundout by pinch hitter Chris Raber, Verrett singled to center put Coastal ahead once again, 5-4. The wheels came off then for Mason with miscues on the next two plays.

First, Adam Vrable singled to left and Verrett scored when Jacobsen dropped the ball on the tag at the plate, a play that would have gotten the Patriots out of the inning. On the next play, shortstop Tyler Youngs dropped a liner that would have been the third out and followed that with his second error on the same play, a throwing error that allowed Eachues to advance to second and Vrable to score. Kevin Entsminger followed with a triple to make it 8-4 as Eachues crossed the plate. J.J. Pannell came into the game at that point and after a wild pitch allowed Entsminger to score, he walked Duggan to extend the frame before Chris Todd flied out, ending the seven-run inning.

Petrovich's final line saw him allow three runs in five innings despite facing the minimum over the first four innings. Stone (0-1) was saddled with the loss despite not allowing an earned run. He allowed five runners to score in the sixth. Matt Cooksey was 3 for 4 in the game while Matt York continued his hot hitting, going 2 for 4 and raising his season average to .469.

Mason (10-5) will next face William & Mary as both teams open Colonial Athletic Association play this weekend at Williamsburg, Va. Games are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.