March 21, 2007

Box Score

Richmond, Va. - The George Mason baseball team scored three runs in the eighth to overcome a late-inning deficit but lost the lead in the ninth as Richmond scored five times in the final inning to hand Mason an 11-7 defeat in non-conference baseball action. The Patriots were outhit 17-11 and made three errors to Richmond's two but the Spiders kept Mason in the game by stranding 14 runners.

The Patriots started the scoring early as Brent Weiss and Chris Fournier led off the inning with back-to-back singles and Justin Bour's one-out hit to left brought Weiss home for a 1-0 lead. The Spiders took their first lead in the bottom of the second as Matt McKenna had a one-out single and Victor Croglio drove him home on a double into the leftfield corner. Croglio came home on a Austin Reilly single to left.

Mason retook the lead in the top of the third when Brent Weiss reached on a one-out single and Scott Krieger hit a two-out two-run homer for a 3-2 Patriot lead. It was Krieger's 10th homer of the year and it extended his hitting streak to 15 games which is tied for the 10th-longest streak in school history. The lead didn't last long as Cameron Brown led off the bottom of the third with a single and after he stole second, he scored on a Vince Riggi single to center making it 3-3.

In the fourth, Richmond took advantage of a leadoff walk to Reilly as he went to second on a balk, third on a single by Hank Coogan and scored on a sacrifice fly by Joe Mahoney. In the top of the fifth, the Patriots were able to get the run back, although the stage was set for a bigger rally that didn't emerge. Weiss singled and Fournier walked to bring up Krieger with nobody out. He flew out to center allowing Weiss to go to third and when Fournier was thrown out trying to steal second, Weiss came home on the play to make it 4-4.

Richmond went back on top in the sixth as Joe White singled to lead off the inning, went to second on a sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Jason Bour and scored on a Alex Wotring infield single. In the seventh, the Spiders finally took control of the game. Reilly walked with one out, went to third on a throwing error by pitcher Benji Kagan and scored on a White single against a drawn-in infield. Mason escaped a bases-loaded jam by turning their second double-play of the game.

The Patriots rallied, though, with three hits and two walks in the eighth. Krieger led off with a walk and Justin Bour singled and each moved into scoring position on Jason Bour's sacrifice bunt. Chris Henderson singled up the middle to make it 6-5 and after Mike Laird walked and Chris Romanow popped out, Spencer Wiggins singled up the middle to tie the game. When Brown mishandled Weiss' grounder at third base, Laird came home with the go-ahead run.

In the ninth, Reilly walked to lead off the inning, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a Coogan double. Mahoney was intentionally walked and Wotring drew a two-out walk before Riggi delivered the game-winning hit, a grand slam, his second in the past week.

The Patriots return to action on Friday when they host Georgia State at 2:30 p.m.