April 8, 2007
Box Score
Delaware scored three runs in the first, three runs in the second and starter Chad Kerfoot baffled the Patriots' hitters as the George Mason baseball team lost its second straight Colonial Athletic Association series, falling to Delaware 12-0 and dropping two out of three in the weekend series. It's the first time Mason has been shutout since the season opener, when the Patriots lost to No. 1 Clemson. Sunday also tied the fewest hits in a game this year for the Patriots as they had just two, matching the total from their season opener.
Kerfoot allowed just two hits in eight innings, walking one and striking out five while not allowing an earned run. He picked up his first win of the season in three decisions. Mason (14-17, 9-8), meanwhile, used five pitchers, all of which surrendered runs.
Delaware's first inning came with very little effort from the Blue Hen hitters. Ryan Jablonski led off with a double to center, Brandon Menchaca was hit by a pitch and Alex Buchholz and Bryan Hagerich drew back-to-back walks to make it 1-0. Adam Tsakonas followed with a double for a 3-0 lead. Mason starter Dan Jaycox (1-1) kept it from being a bigger inning by getting Scott Shockley and Ryan Engelhardt to flyout to left and Danny Overcash to strikeout swinging. Delaware three more in the second behind Jablonski's one-out double, Buchholz two-out single and Hagerich's home run to left field.
Kris Mengle came on in relief for Mason and he quieted the Delaware (9-16, 5-7) bats for awhile. Mason, meanwhile, struggled against Kerfoot. Justin Bour drew a walk in the second, but he remained the only baserunner until Chris Henderson led off the fifth with a double to left. After Jason Bour flew out to left, Ryan Uphouse lined into a double play to end the threat.
In the sixth, Mengle finally tired. After giving up one hit in the fourth and one hit in the fifth, he surrendered a leadoff walk to Menchaca and a two-out triple to Tsakonas to end his afternoon. Trevor Rosenberg came on in relief to get the final out of the inning.
The Patriots got another runner into scoring position in the sixth when Dan Palumbo led off with an infield single and he went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brent Weiss. But Palumbo got no further when Spencer Wiggins' grounder to short caught the runner trying to go to third. Wiggins stole second but he was stranded there when Chris Fournier popped out to short.
In the eighth, Hagerich made it 8-0 with a solo shot to left, his ninth on the year. With two outs in the inning, Rosenberg walked Bill Merkler and gave up a double to Engelhardt to end his afternoon. T.J. O'Grady entered and Danny Overcash deposited his first pitch over the leftfield wall to make it 11-0. In the ninth, Jablonski led off the inning with his third double of the game, tying a Delaware school record for doubles in a game. He went to third on a Buchholz single and scored on a Hagerich single to left. Dave Slovak pitched a scoreless ninth for Delaware.
The Patriots will return to action on Tuesday when they host George Washington at 3 p.m.
