May 22, 2010

Box Score

Towson, Md. - Ryan Soares tied the Colonial Athletic Association's single-season record for doubles and tied the George Mason school record for career doubles but the Patriots were unable to snap their losing streak as they lost at Towson, 19-9 on Saturday. Soares doubled in the third, his 27th of the season and the 58th of his career. He also had a sacrifice fly in the sixth, his 13th of the year leaving him one behind tying the national single-season record in that category. Mason and Towson will finish the 2010 regular season on Sunday when they play at 1 p.m.

Soares, a senior shortstop from Harwich, Mass., also hit his team-leading 11th home run in the eighth and pushed his team-high RBI total to 66. He was 3 for 4 on the day. Brig Tison was 2 for 4 with three RBI and Dan Schafferman was 2 for 3. Ben Winter was 3 for 5 with three RBI for Towson while Chris Wychock was 2 for 4 with three RBI and Kevin Collins, Steve Rice and Brian Wyman each had multiple RBI.

Towson (19-35, 11-12) scored four in the first for the second straight day and throughout the game, answered every Mason rally. The Patriots (27-22, 10-13), trailing 5-0, scored a run in the third only to see the Tigers answer with three in the bottom of the inning. In the fifth, Mason scored twice to make it 8-3 but Towson went ahead 9-3 in the bottom of the frame. After the Patriots cut the lead in half making it 9-6 in the middle of the sixth, the Tigers scored two in the bottom of the inning and added three more in the seventh. A five-run eighth by the Tigers countered a three-run Mason eighth as Towson batted around thrice in the game.

In the first, Mason had runners on first and second after a pair of walks, but an inning-ending double play ended the threat. In the third, Josh Steinberg reached on an error, went to third on a ground out and scored on a Tison ground out. Soares followed with his record double. In the fifth, Steinberg singled and a Tison double brought him home. Tison scored from third on a Mark Hill sacrifice fly.

Mason's runs in the sixth came when Schafferman walked, Haas was hit by a pitch and Steinberg walked to load the bases. Chris Cook and Tison drew bases-loaded walks and Soares' sacrifice fly made it a three-run inning despite no hits. Mason's final three runs came in the eighth when Tison singled and Soares homered to make it 14-8. Hill walked, went to second on a wild pitch, took third on a Shane Davis single and scored on a Schafferman sacrifice fly. But a triple, four walks and an error in the bottom of the eighth allowed Towson to get the runs back and then some. Mason used seven pitchers and they allowed 13 hits, 13 walks and they hit three batters.

Soares will enter Sunday looking not just to break the Mason career record for doubles and CAA's single-season record in that category, not just hoping to tie the national record for single-season sacrifice flies, but also to set a new school record for single-season batting average. Kevin Burke's mark of .420, set in 1985, is one of the longest-standing school records.