FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team (14-19-1) allowed the Towson Tigers (10-23-2) to score six runs in the fourth inning on the way to a 12-4 loss on Wednesday afternoon.
The Tigers scored 12 runs on 11 hits while Mason also put up 11 hits as it scored four runs and committed three errors. This was the second meeting between the two teams, last playing on Wednesday April 8 in a game that ended in a 13-13 tie.
Mark Maksimow made his second start of the season for Mason after allowing two hits in five shutout innings last week against Mount St. Mary's. Towson scored once in the first and twice in the second as his day ended after two innings with one strikeout.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first Michael Smith replaced Luke Willis on first base with a fielders choice after Willis reached on a walk. Gum singled into center field in the next at bat and center fielder Richie Blosser misplayed the ball, allowing Smith to score and Gum to advance to third for the 1-1 tie. Jake Kalish flew out to right field, scoring Gum for the 2-1 lead.
Towson retook the lead in the top of the second but Mason answered in the bottom half when Brady Acker led off with a triple to right-center field and advanced home on sacrifice fly by Trevor Kelly. Acker went 2-4 in the game along with Willis and Kent Blackstone.
The game broke open for Towson in the top of the fourth as they scored six runs on four hits, four walks and two wild pitches. Tyler Kardas earned his first loss of the season as he allowed all six runs to score. Taylor Hunt allowed two additional runs to score in the top of the fifth for an 11-3 Towson lead after five. Riley Coverdale, Tyler Mocabee and Tyler Tobin however combined to throw four and one-third innings of scoreless relief with only two hits allowed and five strikeouts.
The final run of the day for Mason came off of Matt Allen in the bottom of the eighth, who earned his second save of the season with four innings of pitching in relief of Thayer Seely (1-1). Willis came around to score after leading off with a single, advancing to second on a wild pitch and scoring off a poor throw-in on a fly ball to left field.
The Patriots begin a weekend series with Canisius on Friday at 3:00 p.m. in Fairfax. The two teams played once this season in Lexington, SC where Mason grabbed the 13-3 victory.
