FARMVILLE, Va. – The George Mason baseball team scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to earn a 6-5 comeback win over Longwood on Wednesday at Buddy Bolding Stadium in Farmville, Va.

Mason (3-5) took the lead in the top of the first against Longwood starter Tyler Morgan.  With one out, Michael Smith was hit by a pitch and Greg Popatak II drew a two-out walk to put runners on first and second.  After a double steal, both runners scored on a throwing error by Morgan to put the Patriots up 2-0.

The Patriots have scored first run in six of their first eight games of the season.

Longwood (2-7) tied the game 2-2 with single runs in the second and third.  The Lancers took the lead when they scored three runs on four hits in the fourth to make the score 5-2.

Mason began the comeback in the eighth when Tyler Nelin led off the inning with his team-leading fourth home run of the season, a solo blast to left field to cut the Longwood lead to 5-3.        

In the top of the ninth, Trevor Kelly singled to lead off the inning and Smith and Logan Driscoll followed with walks to load the bases with no outs.  Kelly would race home from third on a wild pitch to make the score 5-4 and Popatak drove in Smith with a RBI groundout to tie the game.

Ryan Tassone then drove in the game-winning run with a fielder's choice, with Logan Driscoll crossing the plate to put the Patriots in front 6-5.

Freshman Jared DiCesare (1-0) started the game at third base and took over on the mound in the eighth.  He allowed just one single and struck out three to pick up the win in his collegiate pitching debut.

Logan Driscoll went 2-for-4 and scored the game-winning run, Smith reached base three times and scored two runs, while Popatak and Tassone each drove in a run.

The Patriots play their first home game of the season when they host Marist College on Friday at Spuhler Field with the first pitch scheduled for 2:30 p.m.