March 20, 2009

Box Score

Norfolk, Va. - The George Mason baseball team saw the second-longest winning streak in school history come to an end on Friday night as the Patriots fell to Old Dominion, 6-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association opener for both teams. The Patriots had won 10 straight entering the game but they came up one shy of tying the school record for consecutive victories. That 11-game winning streak was set in 2003.

A five-run second inning by the Monarchs was enough to lift Old Dominion to its third win in its past four games. Brett Harris pitched a complete game for ODU, keeping the Patriots off the board after the third inning.

The Patriots struck first with a Justin Bour solo homer in the second. But in the bottom of the frame, ODU used five hits and an error to take control of the contest. Jake McAloose and Donnie Corsner led off with singles and they advanced on Joe Velleggia's bunt base hit. A throwing error by Mason starting pitcher Kevin Crum allowed McAloose to score with Corsner moving to third and Velleggia to second. A Josh Wright sacrifice fly made it 2-1 and after an Edgar Hernandez single, Cameron Scott homered to make it 5-1.

The Patriots got two runs back in the third. Brent Weiss and Spencer Wiggins singled and Chris Henderson doubled down the rightfield line to make it 5-2. Scott Krieger's sacrifice fly made it 5-3. The Monarchs added an insurance run in the fifth when Max Most was hit by a pitch and Chris Buss doubled him home.

Crum allowed six runs, five earned on six hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out four. Ben Reade pitched two innings allowing two hits and one walk with two strikeouts. Harris allowed nine hits and no walks in nine innings with eight strikeouts. All of Mason's runs were earned.

The Patriots and Monarchs continue their three-game set on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Norfolk.