BASEBALL vs. Georgetown

WHEN:  Saturday, April 1 (Doubleheader) | 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
              Sunday, April 2 | 1 p.m.
WHERE:  Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (9-15, 2-1 A-10), Georgetown (14-11, 0-0 Big East)
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team begins a three-game weekend series against Georgetown, facing the Hoyas in a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.  Game one of the twin bill is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. at Spuhler Field.

Mason (9-15, 2-1 A-10) allowed three runs in the first three innings and suffered a 4-2 loss to UMBC on Wednesday at Alumni Field in Baltimore, Md.  The Retrievers scored two runs in the bottom of the first and another in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead.

The Patriots dented the scoreboard in the fifth inning.  After freshman John Callahan collected a one-out single, sophomore Alejandro Aponte followed with a triple to center, with Callahan racing around to score and cut the lead to 3-1.

Mason made it a one-run game when sophomore Michael Smith knocked in a run with a two-out single, with Aponte coasting home to make it a 3-2 game.

UMBC added a run in the home half of the fifth on a solo home run for the 4-2 final score. 

The Patriots used seven pitchers in the game.  Senior Brock Hunter (1-3) allowed two runs on three hits in one inning in the loss.  Junior Ryan Ricci and classmate Saul Aguilera each tossed one scoreless inning.  Senior Tyler Kardas didn't allow a run over 1.2 innings of work, while freshman Jared DiCesare pitched in the seventh and eighth innings, retiring four of the five batters he faced.

Smith went 2-for-3 and drove in a run and now has a six-game hitting streak.  Aponte was 1-for-3 with his first triple of the season, drove in a run and scored a run.  He has at least one hit in three straight games. 

Sophomore Tim Quinn is batting .333 in 10 games played.  Junior Trevor Kelly is hitting .316 and is third on the team with 15 RBI and tied for third with three home runs. 

Nelin has a .290 average and leads the team in hits (27), doubles (9) and home runs (5) and is second with 18 RBI.  Smith is batting .294 and is second on the team in hits (25) and leads the team in runs scored (21).

The Patriots have hit 20 home runs over the first 24 games of the season.  Mason has at least one round tripper in seven of the last 11 games.  Nine players have hit at least one home run for the Patriots so far this season.

Mason is 32-14 all-time against Georgetown.  The teams split two games last season with each team winning at home. 

The Patriots defeated the Hoyas 2-1 on March 29, 2016 at Spuhler Field.  Kardas retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced in the game and allowed just two singles over 5.0 innings to earn the win.  Zach Mort picked up the save.

In the second meeting of the season, the Hoyas scored a season-high nine runs in the seventh inning to erase a 4-2 deficit on the way to a 12-5 win at Shirley Povich Field.  Bailey Klein hit his first collegiate home run and Smith drove in two runs in the game.

GEORGETOWN SCOUTING REPORT:

Georgetown went 25-29 overall last season and finished tied for fourth in the Big East with an 8-10 record.  The Hoyas were 12-9 at home, 8-18 on the road and 5-2 in neutral site games during the 2016 campaign.

Georgetown (14-11, 0-0 Big East) has dropped two of three games in each of its last two road series. 

The Hoyas were defeated 8-1 and 4-3 at Gardner-Webb before winning the last game of the series 4-2 March 17-19.  Georgetown then lost its first two games at Brown, 2-0 and 11-10, before claiming game three 3-2 March 25-26.

The Hoyas collected 10 hits against Navy on Wednesday, but fell to the Midshipmen 6-2.  Georgetown has dropped five of its last eight games overall.

Junior Michael Derenzi is batting .398 and leads the Hoyas in hits (43), home runs (3), triples (3) and RBI (28).  Senior Jake Kuzbel is second on the team in average (.370), fourth in hits (34) and second in RBI (26).  Zach Racusin is hitting .356 in 25 starts and is second on the team in hits (37) and tied for second in doubles (6).

PROBABLE STARTERS:

Game 1:  RHP Tyler Zombro (1-3, 2.48) vs. RHP Simon Mathews (2-3, 5.40)
Game 2:  LHP Brian Marconi (3-2, 4.11) vs. RHP Jack Cushing (2-2, 5.55)
Game 3:  RHP Bryce Nightengale (0-2, 7.77) vs. RHP Kevin Superko (4-1, 4.24)    
 
STRIKE ZONE: 

Former Hoyas right-hander Tim Adleman was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 24th round of the 2010 draft.  Last season, he made 13 starts for the Cincinnati Reds and finished with a 4-4 record and 4.00 ERA with 47 strikeouts over 69.2 innings.