MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The George Mason baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader to Ball State, falling 14-6 in game one and 7-0 in the nightcap on Saturday at TicketReturn.com Field in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
In game one, Mason (2-4) took its only lead of the day in the top of the second inning against Ball State starter Kevin Marnon. Junior
Trevor Kelly led off with a single and sophomore
Jonathan Hansen walked to put runners on first and second with no outs.
After freshman
John Callahan moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt, Kelly would eventually score from third on a wild pitch to give the Patriots a 1-0 lead.
Ball State (4-2) went ahead for good in the bottom of the second against Mason starter
Brian Marconi. With runners on second and third, junior Justin Kirkpatrick drove in two runs with a two-out single to right field to put the Cardinals in front 2-1.
Ball State sent nine batters to the plate and added four runs in the bottom of the third and then scored two more in the bottom of the fourth to increase the lead to 8-1.
Hansen and Callahan each drove in a run in the sixth for Mason to cut the Cardinals lead to 8-3, but Ball State responded by batting around for the second time in the game, scoring six runs on four hits in the bottom of the inning.
The Patriots scored three runs in the seventh inning, with Kelly driving in two of the runs and freshman
Logan Driscoll the other, to make the score 14-6.
The Cardinals, who were blanked by Coastal Carolina 1-0 on Friday, had at least one baserunner in every inning and scored a season-high 14 runs. Seven players for Ball State recorded a multi-hit game and nine players scored at least one run.
Logan Driscoll went 2-for-4 with a RBI and scored two runs for Mason, while Kelly finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
Marconi (1-1) allowed six runs on seven hits over 2.2 innings and suffered the loss. Marnon (2-0) surrendered three runs on five hits in the win for Ball State.
In game two, the Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the first when senior Alex Maloney connected for his first home run of the season, a two-run blast over the left field wall off of Mason senior starter
Brock Hunter. Ball State added another run in the second to take a 3-0 lead.
Ball State sophomore starter Evan Marquardt took it from there, retiring the first 12 batters he faced in the game before Mason sophomore
Greg Popatak II singled in the fifth inning. Sophomore
Ryan Tassone also singled in the seventh inning to account for the final hit of the game for Mason.
The Cardinals plated a single run in the fifth, two in the eighth and one in the ninth for the 7-0 win.
Hunter (0-1) allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits over 4.0 innings in the loss. He struck out six and walked just two. Marquardt (1-1) surrendered just two singles and struck out nine over 7.0 innings to pick up the win. Cardinal's senior David Current pitched two scoreless innings in relief to combine with Marquardt on the two-hitter.
Mason plays its final game in the Caravelle Resort Tournament on Sunday, facing defending national champion Coastal Carolina at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C. with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
