April 3, 2010
Box Score
Wilmington, N.C. -
After falling behind 6-0 after two innings, the George Mason baseball team rallied, scoring three runs in the ninth to tie the game at 7-7 and put six runs on the board in the tenth as the Patriots beat UNC Wilmington, 13-8. Mason got superb relief pitching from Kris Mengle, who allowed just one run on four hits and a walk in six innings as he shut down a Seahawk offense that put eight runners on in the first two innings. That allowed Mason to chip away at the lead as the Patriots took their fifth-straight regular-season win over UNCW. A Mason win on Sunday in the series finale will give the Patriots their first three-game sweep of the Seahawks in Wilmington since 1988.
The Patriots (15-8, 3-2) entered the ninth down 7-4 but Shane Davis hit a one-out pinch-hit two-run homer off UNCW closer Stephen Harrold to make it 7-6. With two outs, Dan Schafferman singled up the middle and he scored on an Anthony Montefusco pinch-hit double to center. Mason loaded the bases as Nick Allen reached on an error and Jeremy Haas walked but Brig Tison, who was 4 for 7 on the day, couldn't get the go-ahead run home.
In the 10th, Ryan Soares doubled, Danny Lyons was hit by a pitch and Dan Palumbo walked to load the bases. Schafferman singled to make it 9-7. After Nick Allen walked to load the bases, Haas capped the inning with a grand slam. Montefusco (2-1), who pitched the ninth after pinch hitting, allowed a double and an RBI single in the 10th before picking up the win. Tison and Soares both extended hitting streaks to 12 games while Dan Palumbo pushed his to 10 games. Schafferman was 3 for 5 and is now 9 for 15 in his past three games.
The Seahawks (14-12, 2-3) jumped on the board with a run in the first as Michael Rooney walked, Alex Hill singled to put runners on the corners and Grayson Evans' sacrifice fly made it 1-0. In the second, Robbie Monday walked and Matt Holt and Hunter Ridge singled to load the bases. Ben Thielsen's single through the left side made it 3-0 and after Rooney was hit by a pitch, Hill drove in two more runs with a single through the right side. An Evans ground out brought home the fifth run of the inning. The Patriots got a run in the third as Haas walked and Tison singled to put runners on the corners. Soares brought home Haas with a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the inning, Cody Stanley reached on an error and Monday walked to end the day for Mason starter Ryan Brecko. That's when Mengle came in to the game and he got a strikeout and a double-play then retired the batters in order in the fourth, allowed a bunt single in the fifth, retired the batters in order in the sixth and allowed a single up the middle in the seventh. Mason, meanwhile, closed the gap with three runs in the fourth. Palumbo reached on an error, Schafferman singled and Brett Hendricks reached on an error to make it 6-2. A sacrifice fly by Allen made it 6-3 and Tison's two-out single brought home Hendricks to make it a two-run game.
The Seahawks finally got to Mengle in the eighth as Evans singled, went to second on a bunt single by Stanley, took third on a Monday sacrifice bunt and scored on a Ridge sacrifice fly. The run would prove critical when Mason rallied for three in the ninth.
The Patriots and Seahawks will conclude the series on Sunday with a 2 p.m. start.
