HARRISONBURG, Va. - After withstanding a nearly five-hour
rain delay, it was the VCU offense who came out on top as the No. 4-seeded
George Mason baseball team dropped a 11-5 decision to No. 5 VCU on Wednesday.
The loss came in the opening game of the 2012 Virginia 529 CAA Baseball
Championship at Eagle Field.
VCU outslugged the Patriots, 16-8, and came up with key
two-out run production to improve to 33-23 overall and advance to face the top
seed UNC Wilmington Seahawks tomorrow afternoon. With the loss the Patriots
dropped to 33-23 and will face an elimination game tomorrow at 10 a.m. against
the loser of the No. 3 Delaware vs. No. 6 Towson game later this evening.
George Mason fell into an early deficit, as VCU second
baseman Jordan Weymouth, the second batter of the afternoon, hit a two-run home
run to deep right center to take the lead in the top of the first inning.
The Patriots responded in the bottom of the third, as
sophomore outfielder Josh Leemhuis lined a two out two-RBI single to right
field to knot the game at 2-2.
With Mason due to bat in the fourth inning, a lightning
delay kicked off a weather delay that lasted 4:48, with play resuming at 6:01
pm.
The weather delay did not slow down either teams' offense
out of the break, as the lead exchanged hands four times over the fourth
through sixth innings.
Junior second baseman Chris Cook wasted no time putting the
Patriots ahead coming out of the rain delay, as he led off the fourth inning, drilling
a solo shot deep to right field for a 3-2 lead.
The lead was short-lived, as VCU's Joey Cujas reached safely
on a double and came around to score on a two-out double by designated hitter
Chris Ayers to knot the game at 3-3 in the top of the fifth. Another two-out
hit put the Rams 4-3 as shortstop Vimael Machin lined a single up the middle.
Battling back, the Patriots grabbed the lead in the home
half of the fifth, as junior outfielder Nick Allen hit a one-out single to
center and senior first baseman Zack Helgeson lined a shot over the center field
fence for his 13th home run of the season, putting the Patriots up,
5-4.
A misplay in the outfield in the top of the sixth inning gave
VCU lead right back in the sixth. With one out and runners on second and third,
second baseman Jordan Weymouth hit a single to center that Mason's Allen was
unable to field cleanly, committing a three-base error that allowed three runs
to score tand pushing the Rams ahead, 7-5.
A safety squeeze followed by a three-run home run by
outfielder Bill Cullen in the top of the ninth added to the VCU lead, giving
the team an 11-5 advantage before Mason mounted a rally in its half of the
inning. Pinch hitter junior Duncan Satherlie led off the inning with a single
and one batter later senior outfielder Dan Schafferman singled to left center,
leaving runners on second and third. Sophomore third baseman Blaise Fernandez
followed with a single to load the bases for Helgeson, who brought in the final
two Patriot runs of the game with a single to center field for the final 11-7
margin.
Helgeson was one of four Patriots with a multiple-hit game, accounting
for more than half of the offense with four RBI's. For the Rams, Cujas was
3-for-5, while Weymouth drove in four runs.
After both starters were lifted following the rain delay,
VCU's Seth Cutler-Voltz (7-3) earned the win pitching the final six innings.
For Mason, senior Branden Bartlett (2-1) suffered his first loss of the year
after allowing four runs on five hits in one inning of work.
