April 16, 2008

Box Score

Ambler, Pa. - The George Mason baseball team reached the .500 mark on Tuesday for the first time all season but on Wednesday, they were unable to get above that level as the Patriots traveled to Temple and came away with a 5-2 loss to the Owls. The Patriots got strong starting pitching but Mason stranded 12 runners as the Patriot's season-high four-game winning streak was snapped.

Darren McLean (1-2) allowed just three earned runs in five innings on six hits and two walks but the Patriots couldn't come up with the timely hits. Chris Henderson had three doubles and scored both of Mason's runs while Justin Bour was 2 for 5 with an RBI. The rest of the lineup was just 4 of 26.

After cruising through a first inning in which he threw six pitches, all for strikes, Darren McLean ran into some trouble in the second. Sean Barksdale led off with a double to right-center, went to third on a deep fly ball and scored on a Mark Ortega single up the middle. Ortega went to second when Ben Flanary walked and scored on a Jamie Abercrombie seeing-eye single through the left side

The Patriots (18-19) got on the board in the third when, with two outs, Chris Henderson doubled and scored on a Justin Bour single off the wall in the rightfield corner. Mason tied the score in the fifth when Henderson hit his third double of the game and Scott Krieger, Josh Steinberg and Shane Davis all followed with two out walks to bring home Henderson.

Temple (17-17) retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Byron McKoy led off with a double to right, stole second and scored on Mike Kelch's two-out single to right. The Owls added to the lead in the seventh when McKoy walked, stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a Stan Orzechowski triple. Barksdale's sacrifice fly made it 5-2.

Mason threatened in the ninth as Ryan Soares led off with a single and Henderson walked but Bour lined out to right, Krieger struck out and Steinberg grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game.

Mason will return to action this weekend when the Patriots host James Madison in a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series. Friday's game time is set for 3 p.m., Saturday's at 2 p.m. and Sunday's at 1 p.m.