MYRTLE BEACH, SC – After a 13-inning win this morning over Wichita St., the George Mason baseball team (5-2) fell to UConn (2-3) by the score of 11-2 in Mason's final game of the 15th annual Caravelle Resort's Baseball at the Beach tournament on Saturday evening.

The loss caps a 2-2 weekend in Myrtle Beach, with wins over Illinois (3-0) and Wichita St. (5-4) and losses to Coastal Carolina (3-2) and Uconn. The Patriots complete their two trips to South Carolina this season with a 5-2 record. 

Freshman Tyler Kardas made his first appearance of the season on the mound in a starting role, lasting three innings. Kardas allowed five hits and was charged with two earned runs as he struck out two and walked one batter.

Six runs would come across for UConn in the first three innings, five of them in the third. Two errors on defense would plague the Patriots, causing four of the five runs to be unearned. Mason committed five errors in total in the loss.

The runs for Mason both came in the top of the fifth inning. Josh Leemhuis walked and Luke Willis singled to left field to put two runners aboard. Blasé Fernandez came up to the plate to batters later and knocked in both runners with a two-RBI double to center field. The Patriots totaled two runs on 10 hits in the affair.

Pitching in relief for Mason was Rich McMahon (2.1 IP,  ERr, 2h), Neight Hoffa (2 IP, 2 ER, 6h) and Taylor Hunt who made his first appearance of the season, throwing a scoreless eighth inning while walking one.

The Patriots return to Virginia for a long stretch of games in their home state, beginning with a game against Longwood in Farmville, Va. on February 26.