WILMINGTON, N.C. – The George Mason baseball team collected 17 hits, including four home runs, in a 21-1 win over VMI on Sunday in the Hughes Brothers Challenge at Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C.

Mason (2-1) took the lead in the bottom of the first inning, scoring four runs on three hits against VMI (1-3) starter Corey Johnston.  Freshman Logan Driscoll hit his first collegiate home run, a two-run blast to straightaway center field and sophomore Greg Popatak II added another two-run homer in the inning.

The Patriots increased the lead with another big inning in the bottom of the third, scoring seven runs on five hits to make the score 11-0.  Brady Acker, Tyler Nelin, Jared DiCesare, and Logan Driscoll each drove in a run in the inning, while Frank Sturek plated two runs with a double.

After VMI scored its lone run of the game in the top of the sixth, Mason added five more runs in the bottom of the inning to increase the lead to 16-1. 

In the seventh inning, sophomore Bailey Klein came off the bench to pinch hit with the bases loaded.  He swung at the first pitch he saw and hit a grand slam over the left field wall to make the score 20-1.  It was the first grand slam of Klein's collegiate career.

The Patriots tacked on another run in the eighth when Nelin hit a solo home run, Mason's fourth round-tripper of the game.

Sophomore Zach Mort (1-0) allowed just one run on three hits and struck out six over 6.0 innings of work to earn the win in his first career start.  Senior Tyler Tobin tossed two scoreless innings and struck out two, while classmate Ryan Galvin struck out the side in the ninth to end the game.

Nine players had at least one hit for the Patriots, with six players recording a multi-hit game.  Logan Driscoll went 3-for-5, drove in five runs and scored three times, Popatak was 3-for-4 with three RBI and Klein drove in four runs with his grand slam.

Michael Smith went 2-for-4 with a RBI and scored three runs.  Nelin and Sturek each finished with two hits, two RBI and two runs scored.  Nine players drove in at least one run for the Patriots.

VMI defeated Mason 20-17 last season at Gray-Minor Stadium in Lexington, Va.  The Patriots scored 17 runs on 16 hits in the game, while the Keydets scored 20 runs on 17 hits in the contest March 16, 2016.

The Patriots are back on the road on Friday, Feb. 24 to face West Virginia in the first game of the Caravelle Resort Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C.