March 10, 2009

Box Score

Raleigh, N.C. - The George Mason baseball team extended its winning streak to four games on Tuesday afternoon and they did it on the road as the Patriots went to Raleigh and beat North Carolina State, 11-4. Ryan Uphouse and Scott Krieger each had multiple hits and multiple RBI for Mason, which improved to 8-3 on the year. The Wolfpack fell to 7-6.

The Patriots struck first as Spencer Wiggins and Chris Henderson led off the game with walks, Wiggins stole third and scored on a Krieger RBI ground out. In the bottom of the first, the Wolfpack took their only lead of the game behind two Mason errors. Dallas Poulk walked, Kyle Wilson singled and Pratt Maynard reached on an error by Mason starting pitcher Kevin Lingerman. Poulk scored on a wild pitch and Wilson later came home on an error by shortstop Brent Weiss to put N.C. State ahead, 2-1.

In the third, Mason tied the game when Wiggins again led off with a walk and this time he scored on a Chris Henderson double. Henderson has hit safely in all 11 games this season. Mason retook the lead in the fifth, as Wiggins led off an inning with a walk for the third time, Henderson reached when his sacrifice bunt was misplayed and Krieger followed with a homer, his fifth of the year, for a 5-2 lead. Later in the inning, Ryan Soares reached on an error, went to second when Shane Davis walked and scored when Dan Palumbo's grounder was misplayed.

The Wolfpack got a run back in the fifth when Wilson singled, went to second on a walk, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly. The score remained 6-3 until the eighth when Davis walked, Palumbo singled and after a sacrifice bunt, Ryan Uphouse doubled to make it 8-3. In the bottom of the inning, N.C. State used a walk, a single and a ground out to cut the lead to four, but Mason struck for three in the ninth to seal the win. Krieger led off with a walk, Soares was hit by a pitch and Mark Hill reached on an error to load the bases. Palumbo's grounder made it 9-3 and Weiss' single made it 11-3.

Ryan Brecko, who entered the game with three saves on the year, picked up the win in relief, going three and one-third innings and allowing two runs on two hits and three walks. Lingerman made his first collegiate start and he allowed no earned runs on three and two-thirds innings with three hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Shawn Griffith pitched a scoreless eighth and Jordan Flasher a perfect ninth.

The Patriots return to action on Friday when they open a three-game series with Lehigh. First pitch on Friday is 2:30 p.m.