March 19, 2009
In the 29-plus seasons in which George Mason has competed as a Division I baseball team, there have been two occasions in which the Patriots have won 10 or more games in a row. The first came in 2003, when the Patriots won 11 straight. The second is happening right now as the Patriots have not lost since March 1.
Mason takes a 10-game winning streak to Norfolk on Friday as the Patriots open a three-game series at Old Dominion. It will be the Colonial Athletic Association season opener for both schools. The Patriots (14-3) will be looking to tie the school record for most consecutive victories while ODU will be looking to build momentum after a 5-11 start to the season. Friday's game starts at 7 p.m., Saturday's at 4 p.m. and Sunday's at 2 p.m.
The Monarchs are hitting .279 as a team with 10 home runs on the season. Mason, meanwhile, is hitting .302 with 19 home runs. The Patriots are slugging .468 while Old Dominion is slugging .405. The Patriots are second in the CAA with a 3.81 team ERA. Old Dominion is fifth with a 5.48 ERA.
While Mason has won 10 straight, ODU has recently broken out of a skid. The Monarchs lost six straight to begin March before beating Farleigh Dickinson and Maryland. The Terrapins beat ODU in the second game of a two-game series.
Mason has been led this season by a pair of hitters who are batting in the 2 and 3 spots in the order. Chris Henderson is hitting .417 with eight doubles, four homers and 17 runs scored. Scott Krieger is batting .328 with seven homers and 21 RBI. Also making big contributions are Shane Davis, who is hitting .375, and Dan Palumbo, who is hitting .371 with 12 runs scored in 10 games.
The Patriots will send Kevin Crum, Mike Modica and Dan Gerjets to the mound this weekend. Crum is 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA, Modica is 3-1 with a 4.12 ERA and Gerjets is 2-1 with a 7.23 ERA. While Mason starting pitching has done extremely well this year, the bullpen has been lights out. In 51 innings the relief core has put up a 2.47 ERA with a 4-0 mark and five saves. They have recorded 49 strikeouts with 17 walks and 40 hits allowed.
The Monarchs have relied on Jake McAloose and Donnie Corsner this season. McAloose is hitting .397 with 10 RBI, 14 runs and four steals. Corsner is hitting .353 with three homers and 17 RBI. The Monarchs will send Brett Harris, Brady Burchill and Ben Tomchick to the mound. Harris is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA and he has made three starts. Burchill has made just one start and he is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA. To,chick has made three starts and is 1-1 with a 1.71 ERA.
