March 18, 2005

Box Score

Williamsburg, Va. - The George Mason baseball team opened the 2005 Colonial Athletic Association regular season play the same way it finished the 2004 CAA regular season - with a dominating win. One year after running off a 20-4 record in CAA play, the Patriots jumped out to a win in its first opportunity, defeated William & Mary 11-6 behind a 21-hit barrage.

Seven Mason players had multiple hits including Matt York, who was 4 for 6 to raise his season average to .482. Matt Cooksey was 3 for 5 with three runs scored, Chris Looze was 3 for 5 with two RBI, Robby Jacobsen was 3 for 5 with three RBI and Tyler Youngs was 3 for 4 with two runs scored. Chris Fournier and Adam Innerst each had two hits as well.

Eric Gibbons allowed three earned runs in six innings while scattering 10 hits and walking one while striking out two. He improved to 3-2 on the year. Phil Stone was perfect in two innings while Jason Mills pitched the ninth, allowing just a solo home run to William & Mary's Chris Rahl, the 2004 CAA Player of the Year. The Tribe had won nine straight home games entering the contest. It was Mason's fourth straight win over William & Mary.

Mason (11-5, 1-0) jumped on top with three runs in the first inning. York and Cooksey singled to lead off the game and Looze walked to load the bases. Fournier grounded into a double play to score the first run and Robby Jacobsen's trple scored the next. Innerst's single brought home Jacobsen before Matt Barrett grounded out to end the inning. In the second, Youngs had a one-out single, went to third on a York base hit and scored on a sacrifice fly from Cooksey making it 4-0.

William & Mary (12-7, 0-1) closed the gap in the top of the third as Jon Rhymes, Will Rhymes and Rahl had three straight doubles to start the inning. But Gibbons got a ground out and strikeout before a Youngs error allowed Rahl to score making it 4-3.

The Mason bats once again opened things up in the fourth. Youngs led off the frame with a single and York had his third straight hit to put runners on the corners. Cooksey reached on a fielder's choice as Youngs was thrown out at the plate. Chris Looze followed with a two-run double and Jacobsen later had a two-out double to make it 7-3. Innerst singled home Jacobsen to make it a four-run inning.

Youngs scored again in the seventh after a one-out, ground out by York and single by Cooksey. Two insurance runs crossed the plate in the ninth as Cooksey reached on a fielder's choice, went to third on a single by Looze and scored on a Fournier base hit. Jacobsen followed with his third hit of the game bringing home Looze with Mason's 11th run.

William & Mary managed 11 hits in the game with seven at the top of the order. Jon Rhymes was 3 for 5, Will Rhymes was 2 for 4 and Rahl was 2 for 5. Forrest Cory took the loss as he did not make it out of the second inning. He dropped to 1-1.

The two teams will face off again on Saturday with game time set for 1 p.m. Mason sends Stacen Gant (4-0, 1.46 ERA) to the mound while the Tribe counters with Michael LaFleur (3-1, 2.84 ERA).