April 8, 2009
Box Score
Fairfax, Va. -
Spencer Wiggins tripled his career home run total, Scott Krieger broke the school's career RBI record, Justin Bour hit his third home run in the past two days and Kris Mengle was superb in his fourth start of the year as the George Mason baseball team extended the nation's longest active home winning streak to 21 straight as the Patriots beat Liberty, 12-0 at Spuhler Field. Mason, ranked 25th in the Collegiate Baseball poll and 30th in the NCBWA poll, is now 26-5 on the season while Liberty falls to 21-10.
Wiggins was 5 for 6 with two homers, three RBI and four runs scored. Krieger was 2 for 2 with a homer and four RBI and Mengle (1-0) allowed just three hits and two walks in seven shutout innings. Two of the hits he allowed were infield hits. After scoring just 31 runs over a six-game span last week, the Patriots have now scored 29 runs in their past two outings.
After retiring the Flames in order in the first, Mason needed one pitch to take a lead as Wiggins hit his first homer of the season and the second of his career, depositing Zane Bator's first offering over the fence in right field. Mason added to the lead in the second as Shane Davis walked and scored from first on a Mark Hill double down the leftfield line. Brent Weiss followed with a single to center to make it 3-0. After a ground out, Wiggins hit his second homer, again putting the ball just over the rightfield fence to make it 5-0. Mason missed a chance at a bigger inning as Chris Henderson and Krieger drew walks off reliever Austin Poretz but Bour flew out to deep center and Ryan Soares hit into a fielder's choice to end the threat.
In the fourth, Krieger made some Mason school history when he followed Dan Palumbo and Wiggins singles with a home run to left. That put Mason ahead 8-0 and it gave Krieger 201 career RBI, tying Chris Looze's four-year-old school record. Bour followed Krieger's hit with his 12th home run of the season, the second time they've gone back-to-back this year and fifth time they've homered in the same game.
In the fifth, Wiggins and Henderson singled with one out to put runners on the corners and Krieger's sacrifice fly brought home Wiggins to make it 10-0 and to give Krieger the career RBI record. Krieger leads all active players in the nation in career home runs (61), career RBI (202) and career total bases (510). In the seventh, Wiggins led off with his fifth hit, went to third on a Josh Steinberg pinch-hit single and scored on a Brig Tison pinch-hit up the middle. Aaron Tenney made it 12-0 when he singled to right to bring home Steinberg.
Mason will return to action on Friday when the Patriots open a three-game home Colonial Athletic Association series with Towson at 3 p.m. The teams will also play Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
