March 19, 2010

Box Score

Fairfax, Va. - The George Mason baseball team rallied from a four-run deficit, getting big hits from a pair of seniors and a pair freshman, as the Patriots won their 2010 home opener, beating Duquesne, 8-4 at Spuhler Field. Brig Tison had a four-hit game, the first of his career, and Anthony Montefusco came through with a clutch hit in the seventh as the Patriots improved to 8-4 on the year. Mark Hill and Ryan Soares each homered for Mason. Duquesne fell to 3-13.

The Dukes struck for three runs in the second as Crum issued just his second walk of the season, putting Chris Kimmeth on, and then after a strikeout, Mike Ganley singled and Jared Bowser was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Derrik Zeroski followed with a two-run single and Matt Carson's hit to left made it 3-0. In the fifth, Carson was hut by a pitch, took second on an Andrew Heck sacrifice, went to third on a ground out and scored on a Kimmeth single for a 4-0 lead.

Mason, meanwhile, could do very little at the plate. Tison singled in the first, Josh Steinberg was hit by a pitch in the second, Tison singled in the third and Mason went in order in the fourth and fifth. Mason finally got on the board in the sixth when, with two outs, Shane Davis singled and Hill homered to left to make it 4-2.

With one out in the seventh, Mason got back-to-back singles from Jeremy Haas and Tison and a double from Soares to make it 4-3. After Davis struck out and Hill walked, Montefusco stepped up and knocked a 3-2 pitch into center to give Mason a 5-4 lead.

Duquesne missed out on a golden opportunity in the eighth. Kimmeth led off with a walk against Darren McLean but the senior lefty got the next two outs. A.J. Johnson came on in relief and after walking a pair of batters to load the bases, he got Carson to fly out to right to end the inning, keeping it a 5-4 games. The Patriots got insurance runs in the eighth behind a two-out rally. Haas doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a Tison double. Soares followed with his fourth home run of the year to make it 8-4.

Crum walked one and hit five batters while striking out six and surrendering just five hits in six and one-third innings. He got a no-decision. Darren McLean (2-0) got the win pitching one and one-third hitless innings. AJ Johnson picked up his third save with one and one-third scoreless innings. Robert Corsi took the loss for Duquesne, dropping to 0-1.

The three-game series will continue tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. Ryan Brecko (0-0) is scheduled to start for Mason against Michael Pelekanos (1-1)