May 19, 2007

Box Score

Wilmington, N.C. - The George Mason baseball team suffered its first three-game sweep of the season on Saturday afternoon as the Patriots dropped the series finale to UNC Wilmington at Brooks Field, 15-2. Mason, which had won at least one game in every three-game series this year, will enter next week's CAA Tournament with a four-game losing streak. The Patriots, the fifth seed in the tournament, will likely play Delaware on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

The Seahawks (29-25, 18-11) jumped out in the first inning behind a leadoff walk to Grayson Evans, and back-to-back singles by Jason Appel and Steve Halford. After Mark Carver flew out to right, Jonathan Batts hit his ninth homer of the season, putting UNCW ahead 4-0. Daniel Hargrave doubled and Jes Snyder singled to make it 5-0.

The lead stayed five until the bottom of the third when Halford led off with a double, Carver singled and Batts doubled to right to make it 7-0. In the process, Batts broke the UNCW school record for RBI in a career. Kris Mengle came on in relief and after a Hargrave sacrifice bunt, Snyder doubled for an eight-run lead. Mengle was effective for his three innings of work, allowing just two hits and one strikeout without giving up a run. In the sixth, Mike Modica came into the game and UNC Wilmington got back on the board.

Michael Rooney and Evans had back-to-back singles and they advanced on a passed ball. Rooney came home on a wild pitch to make it 9-0. Halford and Carver drew walks to load the bases and Batts hit a sacrifice fly to center for a 10-run edge. It grew when the next batter, Hargrave, homered to left-center to make it 13-0. In the seventh, against Darren McLean, the Seahawks got an unearned run as Hall reached on an error and scored on a Matt Holt single.

Mason's lone runs came in the eighth when Chris Fournier hit his 12th homer of the season, a two-run shot to leftfield that scored Spencer Wiggins. The Seahawks scored their final run in the eighth when Ryan Doolittle singled and scored on a Hall double to center.

The Patriots (26-25, 14-14) will have three days off until the CAA Tournament which will begin on Wednesday at Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C. when Mason faces Delaware in the opening round for the third time in the past four seasons.