May 18, 2007

Box Score

Wilmington, N.C. - The George Mason baseball team had a seven-run lead midway through the fifth inning but UNC Wilmington rallied to tie the game at 10-10 and, after falling behind 12-10, rallied against Mason closer Jordan Flasher to take a 14-12 win in Colonial Athletic Association action. While Scott Krieger tied a 21-year-old school record with his 20th home run of the season, Flasher was unable to break a tie atop the school's career saves list. Flasher has 14 on the season and 18 on his career and had converted all 12 save opportunities since April 1 until Friday evening, when he gave up a three-run homer to Grayson Evans in the bottom of the ninth.

Jason Bour and Justin Bour combined to go 5 for 10 with six RBI and three runs but Evans, Jason Appell and Steve Halford each had three hits. Mason had three homers in the game while UNCW had four.

The Seahawks struck first, scoring in the bottom of the first on a solo homer by Appel, his third of the year. Mason got the run back in the top of the second as Jason Bour led off with a double, went to third on a Chris Henderson ground out and scored on a Mike Laird ground out. In the second, UNC Wilmington retook the lead, first on a Daniel Hargrave solo homer, then later an unearned run when Jes Snyder reached on an error and scored on a Nate Hall single to make it 3-1.

In the third, Mason took its first lead of the game. Spencer Wiggins was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, went to second on a Krieger ground out and scored on a two-out single by Justin Bour. Jason Bour followed and he finished an eight-pitch at-bat with his 13th homer of the year, a blast to leftfield making it 4-3. In the fourth, Dan Palumbo and Wiggins walked and Chris Fournier singled to center to bring home Palumbo for a 5-3 lead. After Scott Krieger walked, Justin Bour missed his fourth grand slam of the year by a few feet, instead settling for a bases-clearing double off the centerfield wall giving Mason an 8-3 lead.

Mason added to the lead in the fifth as Henderson led off with a four-pitch walk and sophomore Mike Laird followed with the first home run of his career, a shot to left-center on a 2-2 pitch. Ahead 10-3, Mason starter Dan Jaycox was lifted after throwing a little more than 50 pitches. He was only expected to pitch four innings in preparation for next week's CAA Tournament and he was quite effective, allowing just two earned runs on three hits with no walks and one strikeout. Ryan Brecko relieved Jaycox.

Brecko did not have quite the amount of success that Jaycox did as Evans, Appel and Halford all hit one-out singles to make it 10-4. After Mark Carver flew out to center, Jonathan Batts singled up the middle to make it 10-5. Brecko got out of the inning when Hargrave grounded out to short. The Seahawks made it 10-6 behind a Jes Snyder leadoff triple in the sixth and a Michael Rooney sacrifice fly.

In the seventh, against reliever T.J. O'Grady, the Seahawks had a leadoff bloop double to shallow center by Steve Halford and Mark Carver reached on an error by Fournier that allowed Halford to score making it 10-7. Batts followed with an RBI single and Hargrave homered to cap a four-run seventh that left the teams tied 10-10.

With two outs in the eighth, Fournier walked and Krieger homered to straight-away center to put Mason ahead. Flasher struggled in the ninth, giving up back-to-back singles to Appel and Halford making it 12-11. After Carver struck out and Batts walked to put runners on first and second, Hargrave grounded to Ryan Uphouse at third base. Uphouse stepped on third for the first out, but threw high to first trying to complete the double play. The ball went into right field but Henderson was able to chase it down and throw out Batts trying to score the tying run, allowing Mason to escape the inning.

The Patriots weren't so lucky in the ninth. Snyder was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and after a sacrifice bunt, Rooney walked and Evans hit his game-winning shot to complete the UNCW comeback.

The Patriots and Seahawks will conclude their three-game series on Saturday when the teams play at 2 p.m.