April 23, 2005

Box Score

George Mason senior Stacen Gant broke a long-standing school record and the Patriots got back into the win column on Saturday as Mason defeated Virginia Commonwealth 21-6 at Petersburg, Va. In improving to 8-1 on the season, Gant ran his career win total to 24, putting him all alone in first place for all-time victories. Gant had shared the mark with Jamie Campbell, who won 23 games from 1990-1993.

Gant received tremendous run support in the third and fourth innings as Mason scored six runs in the third and four more in the fourth to improve to 23-12 on the year, 8-6 in Colonial Athletic Association action. Gant, in perhaps his worst start of the year, went five innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits with a career-high seven walks and seven strikeouts. Gant, already the school's all-time leader in strikeouts and winning percentage, is second all-time in innings pitched and earned runs average.

Gant wasn't the only player making Mason history as Chris Looze hit two home runs to become only the second player in Mason history to reach 40 home runs in a career. He trails just Ralph Schmidt, who hit 45 from 1984-88.

Mason got a leadoff home run from Matt York and in the second, Tyler Youngs doubled to score Brett Pomykala. Virginia Commonwealth rallied for two runs in the bottom of the second, though, to tie the score at 2-2.

The Patriots made sure that Gant's day ended with a win when they broke open the game in the third. Matt York led off the inning with a double, Matt Cooksey followed with a walk and Chris Looze hit his seventh home run of the year to make it 5-2. That home run broke a streak of 46 straight at-bats without a homer for Looze, the longest such streak of his Mason career. Mason was 5-6 in the 11 games in which he did not homer.

The inning didn't end after Looze went deep, as Robby Jacobsen walked and stole second and third and Casey Slattery walked to put runners on the corners. Tyler Youngs reached on a throwing error that allowed Jacobsen to score and Mike Genovese singled to bring home Slattery. York followed with his second hit of the inning to plate Youngs and make it 8-2.

Seven more runs crossed for Mason in the fourth, one coming on a double steal with Jacobsen stealing home and Chris Fournier stealing second, and three more coming on Brett Pomykala's home run, as he drove in Fournier and Slattery. Later in the inning, Mike Genovese walked and York singled for his fourth hit of the game before Cooksey hit a three-run homer for a 15-2 lead.

The Rams rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fourth but Mason got it back and then some in the sixth. Youngs led off with a single and Genovese followed with a drive to center. York singled for his fifth hit of the game to make it 16-5. After Cooksey singled to drive home Genovese and make it 17-5, Looze hit his second home run of the game and eighth of the year, making it 20-5 and giving him the 40th of his two and a half year career.

The Rams (21-11, 7-4) added a run in the sixth but Mason made it 21-6 with a ninth-inning solo home run from Tyler Youngs. Jared Petrovich pitched the final four innings to pick up the save for Mason (23-12, 8-6), the first of his career.

York was 5 for 5 with three RBI while Looze was 3 for 4 with six RBI. Pomykala and Youngs each had three RBI and Matt Cooksey was 2 for 5 with four RBI. Looze now has 46 RBI on the year while Cooksey has scored 46 runs.

The two teams meet on Sunday to conclude the three-game series with Brent Hitz (3-3) taking the mound for Mason.