Box Score
Box score
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team hit three home runs in a 12-3 win over Lafayette in the series opener on Friday afternoon at Spuhler Field in Fairfax, Va.
Mason (6-10) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when graduate student
Frank Sturek hit his first home run of the season, a solo homer over the left field fence off of Lafayette (7-11) starter Brett Kreyer. It's the first time this season that Mason's leadoff hitter has hit a home run to start the game.
Mason starter
Zach Mort was sharp once again. He retired seven straight, with five strikeouts in a row, after allowing a leadoff double in the first.
The Leopards tied the game in the top of the third when sophomore John Marti drove in a run with a single to even the score 1-1.
The Patriots responded in the home half of the third.
With one out, junior
Alejandro Aponte walked, Sturek reached on an error and freshman
Daniel Brooks was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Sophomore
Logan Driscoll then drove in two runs with a single through the left side to put the Patriots up 3-1.
In the fifth, the Patriots put runners on first and second after a single by Aponte and a walk by Brooks. Mason increased the lead with one swing of the bat when senior
Trevor Kelly smashed a three-run homer over the left-center field fence to increase the advantage to 6-1.
Lafayette senior Patrick Nelson led off the top of the sixth with his second home run of the season to cut the Mason lead to 6-2.
The Patriots sent nine batters to the plate in the seventh and scored four runs on four hits against two Leopards relievers. Senior
Garett Driscoll drove in a run with a double, Kelly knocked in a run with his first triple of the season and Aponte delivered a two-out single to drive in two runs in the inning to increase the lead to 10-2.
Sophomore
Logan Driscoll hit his first home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth, a two-run blast to right field for the final runs of the game in Mason's 12-3 victory.
The Patriots have won six of their last eight games overall and improved to 4-1 at home. Mason's three home runs in the game equaled a season high. The Patriots also hit three round trippers against Fairfield on March 2.
Mort (2-1) allowed two runs on five hits and struck out nine over 6.0 innings to win his second straight start. He has recorded at least nine strikeouts in each of his last four starts.
Senior
Timothy Turner allowed one run on two hits in 2.0 innings of work, while freshman
Ryan Miles struck out the side in the ninth to end the game.
Kreyer (1-3) surrendered six runs on four hits over 5.2 innings in the loss. Three Lafayette relievers combined to allow six runs on seven hits over 2.1 innings.
The top four batters in the order for the Patriots went 7-for-17 combined with three home runs, nine RBI and eight runs scored. Five players each scored two runs in the game, while four players had a multi-hit game for the Patriots. Six of Mason's 11 hits in the contest went for extra bases.
Logan Driscoll went 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored. Kelly was 2-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and also scored two runs. Sturek finished 1-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored.
Aponte reached base four times, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBI and two runs scored.
Garett Driscoll was 2-for-5 with a single and a double.
The Patriots and Leopards play the middle game of the series on Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at Spuhler Field.
