April 12, 2009

Box Score

Fairfax, Va. - The George Mason baseball team had its 23-game home winning streak snapped on Sunday afternoon as the Towson Tigers rallied for four runs in the eighth and three in the ninth to beat the Patriots, 9-4. The Tigers ended the longest active home winning streak in the nation and handed the Mason bullpen just its second loss of the season. Mason, which entered the game ranked #25 by Collegiate Baseball and #30 by the NCBWA, had won nine straight overall entering the contest but they couldn't find a rhythm at the plate as they were held to just six hits.

Spencer Wiggins and Ryan Uphouse each had two hits but they were the only Patriots to find a rhythm. Ryan Pfaeffle gave Mason a strong start going five and two-third innings allowing just three hits and one walk. Prior to the eighth-inning Towson rally, Mason pitchers had held the opposition scoreless in 31 of the previous 35 innings.

For the sixth time in the past seven games and the 18th time this season Mason (28-6, 9-3) put runs on the board in the first inning. Wiggins led off the inning with an infield single, went to second on a Chris Henderson ground out, took third on a wild pitch, and after a Scott Krieger walk, scored on a Justin Bour single up the middle. Mark Hill walked to load the bases and Krieger scored from third on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

In the second, Mason had runners on first and third after Uphouse and Wiggins hit one-out singles, but Wiggins was caught stealing and Henderson struck out looking to keep it a 2-0 affair. On the third, Pfaeffle pitched in and out and then into trouble. He gave up a leadoff walk then got a double play ball. But then Steve Freinberg got a single to left and Gary Helmick homered to left to tie the score at 2-2.

The Patriots squandered opportunities in the fourth and fifth keeping them off the board both times. In the fourth, Hill led off the inning with a walk but was caught stealing for the inning's second out. In the fifth, with two outs, Henderson was hit by a pitch and Krieger walked but Bour struck out swinging to end the threat. Towson (16-16, 4-5) had its own threat in the sixth as Kevin Collins and Matt Collins were hit by pitches to put two on with two out and end Pfaeffle's day. Ben Reade came on and after walking Chris Wychock on four pitches, he got Jason Stifler to fly out to right and strand the runners.

Mason finally retook the lead in the sixth when Ryan Soares led off with a solo homer, depositing Permison's 1-2 pitch over the wall in leftfield. With two outs in the inning, Brent Weiss walked and Uphouse doubled down the leftfield line to put a pair in scoring position and end Permison's day. Josh Squatrito came on to face Wiggins and after falling behind 2-0, he got a strike out to end the threat and keep the score 3-2.

Towson got all the runs it would need to end Mason's streak in the top of the eighth. Against Ryan Brecko, Kevin Collins led off with a double, with one out Brecko hit Matt Collins and Wychock followed with his seventh homer of the year, a non-doubter to left to make it 5-3. Stifler followed with a homer to center to make it a three-run lead.

Mason made it a two-run game in the bottom of the eighth when Mark Hill hit a one-out double down the leftfield line and Weiss' two-out single brought him home to make it 6-4. Towson got the run back in the ninth on a Kevin Collins homer to right. After a Matt Collins double, Stifler homered to center to make it 9-4.

Mason will have two days off before playing on Wednesday against Georgetown at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda, Maryland. Next weekend, Mason will play at VCU in a three-game CAA series. Mason's next home game is Tuesday, April 21 against George Washington at 3 p.m.