Feb. 20, 2009

Box Score

Spartanburg, S.C. - The George Mason baseball team won its season opener on Friday evening, taking an early lead on USC Upstate and adding late-inning insurance runs as the Patriots beat the Spartans, 11-5. Mason hit three home runs and got a strong start from Mike Modica and excellent relief work from Ryan Brecko to win its season opener for the first time since 2004.

Ryan Soares, Chris Henderson and Justin Bour all had home runs while Spencer Wiggins, Josh Steinberg and Mark Hill all had multiple hits as well. Mason scored twice in the third and twice in the fourth to go ahead 4-0 and after USCU made it 4-3, Mason scored three in the seventh and four in the ninth. Modica allowed two earned runs in five and two-third innings and Brecko got the save in one and two-third innings of scoreless work.

Mason's second inning runs came when Wiggins walked with two outs and Henderson followed with a homer to right-center. In the fourth, Bour, Soares and Steinberg led off with singles to load the bases and Hill had a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. Brent Weiss singled home Soares for the 4-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth, Brian Dempsey drew a one-out walk and with two outs, Jacob Breen homered to cut the lead in half. In the sixth, a walk, a fielding error and another walk loaded the bases and Dempsey singled to cut the lead to 4-3. Shawn Griffith came in the game and ended the inning with a strikeout.

In the seventh, Scott Krieger was hit by a pitch, Bour singled and Soares homered to make it 7-3. In the bottom of the inning, the Spartans countered with two outs behind a walk, a throwing error, a single to make it 7-4 and a fielding error to make it 7-5. But in the eighth, Brecko came on to silence USCU and in the ninth, Bour led off with a homer, Soares doubled, Steinberg walked and Hill singled to make it 9-5. Brent Weiss reached on a scoring error to bring home Steinberg and Wiggins singled to drive in Hill for the final score.

Mason is now 7-23 in season openers as a Division I school. The Patriots return to action on Saturday when they play a doubleheader against UNC Asheville in Spartanburg, S.C. The first nine-inning game begins at 10 a.m. and the second at approximately 2 p.m. Mason will send Kevin Crum to the mound in the first game and Dan Gerjets in the second.