April 24, 2010

Box Score

Fairfax, Va. - The George Mason baseball team used a pair of three-run innings highlighted by an inside-the-park home run and the Patriots retired 14 of the final 16 Delaware batters as Mason beat the Blue Hens 6-3 in Colonial Athletic Association action at Spuhler Field on Saturday. The Patriots have won the series from Delaware and tomorrow at 1 p.m., they will go for the series sweep. Live audio of Sunday's game will be available for free on GoMason.com

Jeremy Haas was 1 for 3 with two runs and two RBI, Brig Tison and Ryan Soares each had two hits and an RBI and Ryan Brecko (3-0) pitched seven innings striking out a season-high seven to earn the win as the Patriots improved to 25-12, 9-5 in the CAA. Delaware fell to 20-17, 3-8 despite three hits from Steve Ulaky and two hits and two RBI from Ryan Cuneo.

For the second straight day the Blue Hens scored in the first inning. D.J. Long hit a one-out double to left and came home on a long single by Cuneo to right to make it 1-0. The Patriots threatened in each of the first two innings but couldn't get a run across before finally breaking through in the third. First Brett Hendricks singled, but he was replaced at first when Chris Cook reached on a fielder's choice. Haas walked and Tison followed with a single to score Cook and make it a 1-1 game. Soares followed with an RBI single up the middle to make it 2-1. Haas went to third on Soares' hit and he came home to score on a wild pitch to give Mason a two-run lead.

Delaware got a run back in the fourth when Pat Dameron led off with a double into the rightfield corner and he scored on a one-out single by Ulaky. It was Mason's turn to respond to a Delaware rally and the Patriots did so in the bottom of the inning. Dan Palumbo drew a leadoff walk and Dan Schafferman hit an infield single. Brett Hendricks' sacrifice bunt moved the runners over and Chris Cook's squeeze bunt brought home Palumbo to make it 4-2. Haas followed with an inside-the-park home run when rightfielder Hank Yates dove for the ball and missed it, allowing it to roll all the way to the wall and giving Mason a four-run lead.

Delaware used a double by Carlos Alonso and a single from Cuneo to make it 6-3 in the fifth. But after that, Brecko looked as sharp as he has all season, retiring the last eight batters he faced. A.J. Johnson got a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth on just four pitches, then picked up his sixth save despite two hits in the ninth.