Box Score
Box score
RALEIGH, N.C. – The George Mason baseball team fell to No. 10 N.C. State 3-2 on Tuesday at Doak Field at Dail Park in Raleigh, N.C.
Mason (10-12, 3-0 A-10) took the lead in the second inning against N.C. State (21-4, 7-2 ACC) starter Reid Johnston.
With one out, junior
Greg Popatak II doubled down the left field line. Freshman
Scott Morgan drove in the first run of the game with a two-out single up the middle, with Popatak racing around from second base to put the Patriots in front 1-0.
The Wolfpack used two singles and a walk and took advantage of two Patriots errors to score three runs in the home half of the second to take a 3-1 lead.
After allowing a leadoff single in the bottom of the third, Mason starter
Jared DiCesare retired 15 of the next 16 batters he faced from the third through the seventh.
Mason senior
Trevor Kelly led off the fourth with a single and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Morgan reached on a fielding error with Kelly scoring on the play to cut the Wolfpack lead to 3-2.
Graduate student
Frank Sturek led off the eighth with a walk and Popatak doubled to start the ninth, but the Patriots were unable to score the game-tying run.
DiCesare (2-4) scattered four singles and did not allow an earned run. He pitched a season-high 7.0 innings and struck out a season-high eight batters in the outing. Senior
Ryan Ricci tossed one scoreless inning in relief.
Johnston surrendered two runs on five hits over 4.0 innings in a no decision. Freshman Nick Swiney (3-0) allowed just one hit over 3.2 innings to earn the win for the Wolfpack, while senior Joe O'Donnell pitched the ninth to pick up his fifth save of the season.
Popatak went 2-for-4 with two doubles and scored a run, Morgan was 1-for-3 and drove in a run and senior
Michael Smith finished 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.
The Patriots are back in action when they host UMBC on Wednesday with the first scheduled for 3 p.m. at Spuhler Field.
