March 24, 2010

Box Score

Fairfax, Va. - The George Mason baseball team held four different leads over George Washington on Wednesday but it was the final run the Patriots scored in the bottom of the tenth that proved the difference as the Patriots held off the Colonials 10-9 in extra innings. Mason has taken six straight from the Colonials since a 5-4 loss on March 14, 2007. The Patriots (11-5) have won eight of the past nine meetings with George Washington (9-10), which rallied from 3-2, 6-3, 8-6 and 9-8 deficits to force extra innings.

In the bottom of the 10th, Dan Palumbo singled, his third hit of the day, took second on a Nick Allen sacrifice bunt, and after Jeremy Haas was hit by a pitch, Brig Tison doubled to right center to bring home the winning run.

Ryan Soares continued his hot hitting going 2 for 5 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored. Tison was 3 for 5 with three runs and Palumbo was 3 for 5 with two RBI. Mark Hill extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Jon Chirumbolo was 4 for 4 for George Washington with three runs scored.

In the top of the first, Justin Albright reached on an error by Tison and scored on a Chris Luick homer to left. In the bottom of the inning, Jeremy Haas led off with a four-pitch walk, Tison followed with a double to left-center and scored on a Soares homer to left. The Colonials tied the game back up in the second when Chirumbolo walked, stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Robbie Haben.

In the third, the Patriots got a leadoff from Tison, Soares followed with an infield single and Mark Hill made it 4-3 on a double to left-center. After Anthony Montefusco walked, Shane Davis' grounder made it 5-3 leaving runners on the corners with one out. Brett Hendricks' sacrifice fly made it a three-run Mason lead. The lead didn't stand long as in the to of the fourth, Stephen Oswald reached on an error by Hill and Chirumbolo and Tyler McCarthy singled to make it 6-4. An error by Hill on a Haben sacrifice bunt made it 6-5 with runners on second and third and Tom Zebroksi's sacrifice fly tied the score as a third unearned run scored.

The back-and-forth affair continued in the bottom of the fifth and the top of the sixth. First Mason went ahead 8-6 as Montefusco walked and Shane Davis reached on a fielder's choice with Montefusco safe on a throwing error. Brett Hendricks' grounder erased Montefusco at third but a throwing error on an attempted double play moved the runners into scoring position. Dan Palumbo followed with a single to center to plate the pair. In the top of the sixth, reliever Branden Bartlett walked the bases loaded with one out and Curtis Eward singled with two outs to make it 8-8.

Mason squeezed through a run in the bottom of the sixth when Tison singled, stole second and scored on back-to-back wild pitches. The Colonials answered with a leadoff double by Chirumbolo, a ground out and a sacrifice fly by Haben to make it 9-9.

The Patriots return to action on Friday when they play their first Colonial Athletic Association series of the year. Mason will host CAA preseason favorite James Madison at 3 p.m.