April 29, 2005
Box Score
The Towson Tigers lead the nation in home runs per game but in Friday's opener of a three-game series at George Mason, the Tigers didn't hit any. They didn't need to as they pounded out 12 hits, one third of those infield singles, en route to a 6-4 win over the Patriots at Spuhler Field in Fairfax.
The Tigers (23-18, 8-8) entered the week averaging 1.97 home runs per game but it was Mason (25-14, 8-8) that hit a pair as Matt Cooksey and Casey Slattery each had two-run homers to account for Mason's scoring in the game. Those were just about the only mistakes that Towson starter Chris Rhoades made in the game as he went six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Steve Johnson pitched the final three innings for Towson to pick up his first save of the year.
Towson jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as Adam Heffron drew a one-out walk, Casper Wells was hit by a pitch and Tyler Youngs committed a throwing error on a Jason Maxey grounder to allow Heffron to score. Maxey later crossed the plate to make it 2-0 when Mark Chiccini singled with two outs. The Patriots got those runs back in the bottom of the first when Matt York singled to lead off the inning and Cooksey followed with his home run, the 200th hit of his Mason career.
Towson wasted no time retaking the lead in the second Hans Falkenhan led off with a single and Skellchock reached on a fielder's choice that erased Falkenhan from the base paths. Shane Justis was then hit by a pitch and Heffron followed with a single to right to make it 3-2. After Casper Wells reached on an infield single to load the bases, Mason starter Eric Gibbons worked out of trouble as he struck out Maxey and got Chiccini to pop out as Towson left three runners on.
Towson loaded the bases again in the third, this time with Ryan Schreiter being hit by a pitch, Pat Fields singling and Skellchock walking with one out. Justis' grounder to short scored Schreiter and Heffron singled to right to plate Fields, making it 5-2. Mason rallied in the bottom of the frame, again behind the long ball, as Robby Jacobsen walked and Slattery hit a two-out homer to left to make it 5-4. Towson added a run to its lead in the sixth when Chiccini hit a two-out triple to right and scored on Schreiter's double to center.
Mason threatened in the bottom of the seventh with Cooksey leading off with a walk and going to second on a Looze groundout. He made his way to third on a balk but was caught off the bag on Jacobsen's grounder and tagged out by the third baseman, Hans Falkenhan. Jacobsen stole second to move into scoring position but Innerst struck out to end the threat. Mason mounted another rally in the eighth, this time with Fournier and Freund hitting one-out singles, but Youngs struck out and York grounded out to strand the runners.
In the ninth, Cooksey led off with a bunt single and went to second on a throwing error by the pitcher, Steve Johnson, but he was never made it across as Chris Looze flew out to center and Jacobsen and Innerst struck out swinging.
Gibbons went six innings for the Patriots, allowing six runs, four earned, on 11 hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He hit three batters. Jared Petrovich pitched brilliantly over the final three innings to keep Mason in the game, allowing one hit while striking out four.
The two teams face again on Saturday at 2 p.m. with Stacen Gant (8-1) taking the mound for Mason against Casper Wells (4-0). Gant will tie Craig Haney for first place on Mason's career appearances list in Saturday's outing and if he pitches five innings, he surpasses Derek Ashcraft for most innings pitched in a Mason career. Ashcraft pitched 273 and two-third innings in his career. Gant is already Mason's all-time leader in victories, strikeouts and winning percentage and he is second all-time in ERA.
