The George Mason baseball team got terrific pitching
against the nation's top offense and used the long ball to establish an early
lead and then cement it in the late innings as the Patriots beat James Madison,
9-5 on Friday in Colonial Athletic Association action.
T.J. O'Grady (2-1) got the win, allowing just three
hits and two runs, only one earned, in five innings of work. Jake Kalish
pitched the final three innings to pick up his second save of the year. Alex
Valadja (3-2) took the loss after giving up eight runs, seven of them earned,
in five innings of work. Zack Helgeson was 2 for 4 with two homers and three
RBI while Chris Cook, Brig Tison and Dan Schafferman were each 2 for 4. Cook
and Tison each had four RBI. Ian Haynes was 3 for 4 to pace James Madison.
The Dukes (18-9, 8-5 CAA0 got on the board in the
first when Jake Lowery hit his CAA-leading 14th
homer, a one-out
solo shot. Mason (11-15-1, 2-8 CAA) countered though with two homers in the
bottom of the first. Cook led off the inning with a solo shot, his third of the
year. Schafferman hit a one-out double and Blaise Fernandez followed with a
two-out single to give Mason the lead. Helgeson made it 4-1 when he homered to
left, his sixth of the season.
The Dukes got a run back in the third when Haynes
led off with a single, stole second and third and scored on a throwing error by
catcher Jake Leonardo. Two more runners reached that inning as O'Grady hit
David Herbek with two outs and then gave up a single to Matt Tenaglia, but he
got Bradley Shaban to ground out.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Patriots nearly hit
for the cycle as a team. Kalish led off with a single and after Nick Allen drew
a one-out walk, Cook followed with a double to make it 5-2. Tison added a
triple for a 7-2 lead. Tison came home to score later in the inning on a wild
pitch.
The top of the sixth saw the Dukes put another run
across as Tenaglia walked, stole second, took third on a ground out and came
home on a Joe Townsend single. In the seventh, Haynes reached on a bunt single
to lead off the inning, went from first to third on a wild pitch and scored on
a wild pitch. The Patriots nearly broke the game open in the bottom of the
seventh but instead failed to increase the lead. Kalish reached on an error to
lead off and Leonardo followed with a bunt single. Nick Allen popped out trying
to bunt the runners over and Cook struck out looking to make it two outs before
Tison walked to load the bases. The Dukes brought on reliever Scott Mayer to
face Schafferman and he got the centerfielder to ground out to end the threat.
The teams traded solo homers in the eighth as first
Tenaglia went deep to lead off the eighth and Helgeson countered with a two-out
homer in the bottom of the frame. In the ninth, a bunt base hit, then an error
on a sacrifice bunt attempt allowed the first two runners to reach, but Kalish
got a strike out and two fly outs to end the game. Tenaglia nearly made it a
one-run game but he recorded the game final out as Schafferman made the catch
against the 400-foot sign in centerfield.
The Patriots and Dukes will return to Spuhler Field
for the second game in their three-game series on Saturday at 2 p.m.
