BASEBALL at Longwood

WHEN: Wednesday | 1:30 p.m. (time moved up from 2:30 due to potential inclement weather)
WHERE: Buddy Bolding Stadium | Farmville, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (2-5), Longwood (2-6)
LAST MEETING: The Patriots defeated the Lancers 13-6 March, 13, 2016 at Spuhler Field
LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason baseball team is back on the road for a midweek contest against Longwood, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville, Va. The starting time was moved up from 2:30 due to potential inclement weather.

Mason scored the first eight runs of the game against No. 18 Coastal Carolina on Sunday, but couldn't hold on as the defending national champion scored nine unanswered runs, including three in the ninth for a walk-off 9-8 win at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.

Junior Garett Driscoll reached base five times in the game, with a home run and four walks.  Junior Frank Sturek went 3-for-4 with three singles and two runs scored against the Chanticleers.

Sophomore Greg Popatak II finished 2-for-5 and belted his second home run of the season, while junior Tyler Nelin hit his team-leading third round tripper of the year.  Six players have hit at least one home run for the Patriots.

The Patriots have scored the first run of the game five times in the first seven games of the season.

Every player in the lineup reached base at least once for Mason, with eight players recording at least one hit.  The Patriots hit three home runs and nine singles in the game.   

Freshman Logan Driscoll and Nelin are tied for the team lead with 10 hits each, junior Michael Smith is second with nine and Popatak is third with eight.

Mason pitchers have combined for 64 strikeouts and 34 walks with a 6.18 team ERA over the first seven games of the season.  The Patriots have a team batting average of .257 with 21 extra-base hits, including nine home runs.

Mason holds a 9-6 edge in the all-time series against Longwood. 

Last season, the Patriots erased a four-run deficit against the Lancers, scoring 11 runs over the last five innings for a 13-6 win at Spuhler Field.  Mason scored four runs in the fifth inning and five more in the sixth to take control of the game. 

Ryan Tassone went 3-for-5 and drove in a season-high four runs in the game.  Garett Driscoll drove in two runs and scored twice, while Popatak finished 1-for-2 and scored three runs against the Lancers.

LONGWOOD SCOUTING REPORT:

Longwood was 32-27 overall and 14-10 in the Big South Conference last season.  The Lancers finished the 2016 campaign 21-7 at home, 9-18 on the road and 2-2 in neutral site games.

The Lancers went on to win two games in the Big South Tournament, earning an 8-6 win over No. 6 seed Winthrop and then defeated No. 2 seed High Point 18-13 before falling to the eventual national champion Coastal Carolina 5-1. 

Longwood (2-6) allowed 13 runs on 13 hits in a 13-6 loss to Albany in the finale of a three-game set on Sunday.  The Great Danes scored nine runs over the first three innings, including five runs in the third against the Lancers, who committed six errors in the game.

Longwood has recorded both of its wins at home.  The Lancers beat Elon 9-5 on Feb. 19 and won the second game of a doubleheader over Albany 11-6 on Feb. 25.

Junior Justin Mitchell leads the Lancers with a .360 average and is second on the team with six RBI.  Senior Alex Lewis is second on the team with a .357 average, while junior Michael Osinski leads Longwood with 11 hits and 12 RBI.

Longwood relievers have allowed just four earned runs in 18.0 innings of work over the last three games.

STRIKE ZONE:  

Longwood advanced to the semifinals of the Big South Championship for just the second time in school history last season.  The Lancers established the school record for wins as a Division I program with 32 and also set program records with 14 conference wins and 21 home victories during the 2016 campaign.