April 18, 2010

Box Score

Boston, Mass. - The George Mason baseball team was kept off balance and off the scoreboard for nine innings yesterday as Northeastern lefthander Andrew Leenhouts had a career-day. Luckily for Mason, Ryan Brecko had the best performance of his career as well. The result was a scoreless game after nine innings. That all changed in the 10th when a two-out Northeastern error opened the floodgates as Mason score five in the inning and survived a couple of Northeastern hits in the bottom of the frame to beat the Huskies, 5-1.

Leenhouts was dominate in his eight innings of work striking out 15 batter while allowing just two hits and two walks. Senior Dan Zehr wasn't as successful as he gave up three hits and a walks while allowing five unearned runs in two innings to take the loss. Mason senior Brecko allowed just three hits and three walks while striking out five in eight innings. He needed just 99 pitches to get through eight innings while Northeastern's lefty starter needed 140. A.J. Johnson came on to pitch the final two innings to improve to 1-0. He allowed two hits and no walks with a strikeout and the game's only earned run.

In the 10th, Mason got a leadoff single from Brett Hendricks and Dan Schafferman sacrificed him to second. With two outs, Brig Tison hit a grounder to shortstop Ryan Maguire who threw the ball away allowing Hendricks to score. Ryan Soares was hit by a pitch and Mark Hill walked to load the bases and Anthony Montefusco, who picked up the win in relief in the series opener on Friday, hit a three-run double to make it 4-0. He scored on a Dan Palumbo single to account for a five-run lead. In the bottom of the inning John Puttress and Logan Gillis led off with singles, advanced on a ground out and Puttress scored on a Matt Miller sacrifice fly before David Gustafson grounded out to end the game.

Mason (22-11, 6-5 CAA) was kept off balance at the plate in the first five innings as they struck out at least twice in each frame, including the side in the second and fourth. Despite Leenhouts' dominance on the mound, Mason threatened in the third when Schafferman walked, Jeremy Haas was hit by a pitch and Brig Tison walked to load the bases with one out. But Soares popped out and Hill struck out. The only other time Mason got a runner to second before the 10th was the eighth when Soares hit a two-out double, but Hill grounded out to end the inning.

Northeastern (7-16, 0-8 CAA) threatened in the first when Gustafson reached on an error and Tony DiCesare singled but Brecko got a strikeout and fly out. That was the start of nine straight batters retired and Northeastern didn't get a runner past second until the seventh. In that inning, Alan Pastyrnak walked, went to second on a sacrifice and took third on a groundout before being stranded there. The Huskies went in order in the eighth and ninth.

The two teams were set to complete the doubleheader on Sunday afternoon as Mason looked for a series sweep.