BASEBALL (16-31, 5-13 A-10) vs. La Salle (14-34, 5-13 A-10)
WHEN: 3 p.m. Friday, May 13; 2 p.m. Saturday, May 14; 1 p.m. Sunday, May 15
WHERE: Spuhler Field
LAST MEETING: Mason won two of three May 8-10, 2015 at La Salle.
LIVE STATS: GoMason.com
RADIO: GoMason Digital Network
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team returns to Spuhler Field for the final home series of the regular season with a three-game set against La Salle with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday afternoon.
Mason (16-31, 5-13 A-10) will look to rebound from a 16-3 loss last Sunday at St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies sent 13 batters to the plate and scored nine runs on four hits in the fifth inning to take control of the game. The Patriots scored three runs on 12 hits.
Freshman Alejandro Aponte went 3-for-4 with two singles and his first triple of the season and drove in all three runs for Mason. Freshman Tim Quinn was 2-for-4 with two doubles. Freshman Ryan Tassone went 2-for-4 with a single and a double and Caleb Walls collected two hits and reached base four times in the game.
As a team, the Patriots have hit 17 homers this season. Sophomore Tyler Nelin and classmate Garett Driscoll are tied for the team lead with four round trippers each.
Mason takes on La Salle in an Atlantic 10 matchup in the last home series of the season. The Patriots have a chance to finish .500 at Spuhler field but would need to win all three games against the Explorers. The Patriots took two of three games from La Salle last season in Philadelphia. The Explorers won the first game of the series 10-1 before Mason claimed the final two games, 4-0 and 8-3.
The Patriots have won six of their last 11 games, with four of the wins by a single run. This season, Mason is 9-6 in one-run games overall and 8-2 at Spuhler Field in games decided by a single run.
The Patriots and Explorers have identical 5-13 records against Atlantic 10 opponents this season. Mason has earned four of the five conference wins at Spuhler Field and has an overall home record of 12-15. The Patriots have won three of their last five home games, all by one run.
Driscoll leads Mason at the plate, batting .265 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 35 games. Freshman Greg Popatak II is hitting .265 with two homers and 13 RBIs in 42 games. Tassone has a .257 average with 12 RBIs.
Sunday is Senior Day for a trio of Patriots. Kent Blackstone, Mark Maksimow and Evan Porcella will be recognized for their contributions to the program during an on-field presentation.
Entering the weekend, Blackstone leads the Patriots with 17 extra-base hits (nine doubles, six triples and two home runs) in 45 games this season. He has led Mason in extra-base hits in each of the last two seasons. Maksimow has appeared in 68 games for the Patriots over four years and has a record of 1-0 with an ERA of 4.76 this season in 17 appearances. Porcella has appeared in 52 games in his three years at Mason, including 13 games this season and led the team in appearances (23) and ERA (1.93) during the 2015 season.
SCOUTING REPORT
La Salle (14-34, 5-13 A-10) hasn't played since dropping two of three against Saint Joseph's last weekend. The Explorers split a doubleheader with the Hawks, falling in game one 10-2 and winning the night cap 3-2. St. Joseph's won the rubber game 14-2 last Sunday.
La Salle has lost four of five games overall. In their last 17 losses, the Explorers have been held to three or fewer runs in each game.
The Explorers are batting .215 as a team. Senior Joey Ravert leads the team in home runs (6) and RBIs (28) in 48 games. Freshman Jared Malone leads La Salle with a .321 average in 46 games. Freshman Drew Jarmuz is hitting .238 with one home run and 15 RBIs in 32 games and freshman Brian Tagoe is batting .234 with two homers and 15 RBIs in 38 games.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, May 13:
George Mason: RHP Tyler Zombro (3-8, 4.42)
La Salle: RHP Jordan Meyer (2-6, 4.99)
Saturday, May 14:
George Mason: LHP Joe Williams (2-5, 5.46)
La Salle: LHP Luke Reilly (1-4, 3.23)
Sunday, May 15:
George Mason: LHP Brian Marconi (1-4, 5.37)
La Salle: TBD
