FARMVILLE, Va. - The George Mason baseball team outhit
Longwood but came up on the short end, falling 9-7 on Wednesday afternoon at
Bolding Stadium.
Mason (11-6) held a 13-10 advantage in the hit column, but
fell victim to two out run production from the Lancers (11-6) in the loss.
Junior second baseman Chris Cook started the contest with a
single to left and advanced to third on a single by senior third baseman Brig
Tison. Tison was caught stealing by Longwood starting pitcher Brandon Vick, but
caused enough of a distraction to allow Cook to score for a 1-0 Mason lead in
the first inning.
Longwood responded in its half of the first as first baseman
Justin Lacy lifted a line drive down the right field line for a two-run home
run and 2-1 Lancers lead.
The Patriots added two more runs in the top of the second to
grab the lead back, 3-2. Junior outfielder Nick Allen singled, stole second and
advanced to third on a throwing error by LU catcher Scott Burkett putting him
in position to score on an RBI single from freshman catcher Ray Toto. Mason did
more damage with two outs as Tison recorded his second single of the game to
advance Toto to second base and then score on an RBI single up the middle from
senior outfielder Dan Schafferman.
The Lancers countered in their half of the inning to take
back the lead. With a runner on first base and two outs Longwood connected on
two consecutive singles and recorded a run on the second hit to tie the game,
3-3. The Patriots had a chance to get out of the inning but Cook couldn't come
up with a ground ball, allowing the batter to reach and a run to score for a
4-3 Lancers lead. The final two runs crossed the plate on a wild pitch followed
by a passed ball to give the Lancers a 6-3 advantage.
Mason saw a run cross the plate on a wild pitch in the
fourth, and Longwood tallied three more runs in its half of the inning to leave
the score at 9-4.
A pair of wild pitches allowed Mason to score two runs in
the top of the sixth and senior designated hitter Zack Helgeson hit his seventh
home run of the season in the seventh to edge the Patriots closer, but the team
was unable to generate any more offense, falling by the score of 9-7.
Mason starter John Williams (2-1) took the loss, throwing
3.2 innings with seven hits, nine runs (five earned), three walks and three
strikeouts. Sean Cabrera had a strong showing in relief, throwing four innings
while fanning three hits and striking out three. Neight Hoffa threw the final
0.1 innings in the game, getting the only batter he faced to fly out.
Vick earned the win after going 5.1 innings and giving up 10
hits, six runs (four earned) and three strikeouts. Tison continued his hot
hitting, going 3-for-5 at the plate. Lacy led the Lancers at the plate, going
3-for-4 with two RBI's and two runs scored.
The Patriots return to action on Friday, traveling to Towson
for a CAA weekend series.
