After winning their first five games at home in 2011 and putting together a seven-game winning streak, the George Mason baseball team finally suffered a defeat at Spuhler Field as the Patriots lost to Niagara, 9-8 on Friday afternoon. The Purple Eagles scored a pair of unearned runs in the first inning and added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth to hold off the late-charging Patriots, 9-8.

Mason scored the final six runs of the game but left the tying run on base to end the contest. Each team stranded 11 runners and turned two double plays but the Patriots committed four errors while Niagara made just one. Shane Davis , Nick Allen and Brig Tison each had two hits and one of Davis' was a home run. Chris Cook went 3 for 6 with two RBI. Drew Fittry picked up the win for Niagara with two runs allowed on three hits in five innings. Cam Stykemain was 3 for 4 with three runs while Eric Hink, Wynton Bernard, Brian Deering and Adam Wagner each had two hits. Deering also picked up the save.

In the first, Hink singled, Bernard walked and the pair scored on a throwing error by Tison. The Purple Eagles added a run in the third when Stykemain walked, went to third on a Hink single and scored on a Bernard single. The Patriots made it 3-1 in the third when Cook doubled, took third on a Tison ground out and scored on a wild pitch.

Niagara responded with four runs in the fourth to chase Mason starter Chris O'Grady . Deering doubled to lead things off, took third on a sacrifice and after Chris Betts walked and stole second, Deering scored on a wild pitch. Betts came home on a Wagner single. The score went to 6-1 when Stykemain doubled home Wagner and after Hink was hit by a pitch, Bernard's single plated Stykemain to make it 7-1.

In the sixth, Tison doubled, took third on a Dan Schafferman fly out and scored on a Zack Helgeson single. Davis followed with a double to put two runners on, but the Patriots stranded those runners. Mason also stranded a pair of runners in the seventh. In the top of the eighth, Stykemain walked to lead things off, but the Patriots got a pair of outs. Ryan McCaulet fell behind 0-2 against Mason reliever Neight Hoffa , but then worked a walk to put two runners on with two outs. That's when John Wilson hit a huge two-run double to make it 9-2.

The Mason rally began in the eighth with one out when Shane Davis hit a solo homer to make it 9-3. Jeremy Haas singled and Nick Allen walked and after a fly out, pinch hitter Mick Foley walked to load the bases. Cook followed with a two-run single and Tison singled as well to make it 9-6. Schafferman walked to load the bases but Helgeson was called out on strikes to end the threat. In the ninth, Davis walked and Allen hit a one-out double to put two runners in scoring position and the pair scored when Wilson misplayed Blaise Fernandez ' grounder to short. Fernandez went to third second on a wild pitch before Cook grounded out to end the contest.

The Patriots and Niagara will play a pair of nine-inning games on Saturday to conclude the series. First pitch for the doubleheader is scheduled for Noon.