CONWAY, S. C. - The George Mason bats came
alive on Saturday afternoon as the Patriots downed Iowa, 12-3, in its second game of the Coastal Carolina Baseball at the Beach Tournment, held at Watson
Stadium.
Eight of the nine Mason batters in the game registered a
hit, while 10 of the 12 runs scored by the Patriots came with two outs on the
scoreboard.
Iowa (1-4) struck first, registering the first run of the
game off of a solo shot by Sean Flanagan to left center for a 1-0 lead. Mason
starting pitcher senior Ryan Pfaeffle gave up consecutive singles to put
runners on first and second, and the Hawkeyes scored their second run on a
fielding error by Mason junior shortstop Duncan Satherlie that allowed Ryan Rumpf
to cross home plate. Pfaeffle limited the damage by grounding out the next
batter to leave the score at 2-0 in favor of Iowa.
Mason (2-3) responded in its half of the third, scoring four
runs for a 4-2 lead. Sophomore first baseman Mick Foley singled to start the
inning, but freshman catcher Ray Toto grounded into a double play with the next
at-bat. The rally started with junior center fielder Nick Allen, as he singled
to center and junior second baseman Chris Cook doubled down the left field line
to advance Allen to third. Senior third baseman Brig Tison drove in two runs
with a two-RBI double before stealing third, allowing him to score on a single
by senior right fielder Dan Schafferman. The final run of the inning came when
Schafferman stole home as the Iowa infield tried to track down sophomore left
fielder Blaise Fernandez in a rundown from first to second.
An inning later the Patriots extended their lead with five
runs to assume a commanding 9-2 advantage. Senior designated hitter Zach Helgeson
hammered a shot to left field for his fourth homer of the season and third of
the weekend. After Foley struck out, Toto doubled to center and Allen walked
before Iowa starting pitcher Matt Dermody was replaced by righty Ricky Sandquist.
With his first batter faced, Sandquist allowed Allen to advance to second and
Toto to third on a wild pitch, putting Toto in place to score on a sacrifice
fly by Cook for a 5-2 Mason lead. Schafferman followed with a bomb of his own
to left field, driving in two runs.
The Hawkeyes added a run in the bottom of the eighth to
leave the score at 9-3, but the Patriots weren't done with their offensive
production, as Toto knocked a three-run shot to left center in the top of the
ninth as Mason earned the decisive 12-3 victory.
Tison finished the game going 3-for-5 with two runs scored
and three RBI's, Schafferman was 2-for-5 with a home run, 3 RBI's and two runs
scored and Toto went 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBI's and two runs scored.
Pfaeffle earned the win, working 6.0 innings with six hits,
two runs (one earned) and five strikeouts. Neight Hoffa worked 1.2 innings of
relief, giving up two hits and one unearned runs with three strikeouts, and
Sean Cabrera closed the game, tossing 1.1 innings and allowing a single hit.
For Iowa, Flanagan was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored,
while Rumpf finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Starter Matt Dermody took the loss, lasting just 3.1
innings, giving up eight hits, seven earned runs, a walk and two strikeouts.
The Patriots return to the diamond this afternoon, facing
Virginia Tech at BB&T Coastal field in Myrtle Beach at 5:00 pm.
