BASEBALL vs Richmond
WHEN: Friday, March 30 through Sunday, April 1
WHERE: Spuhler Field | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (11-12, 3-0 A-10), Richmond (15-9, 2-1 A-10)
LIVE VIDEO ($) |
LIVE STATS
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team hosts Richmond for a three-game Atlantic 10 series beginning Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Spuhler Field in Fairfax, Va.
Mason (11-12, 3-0 A-10) won its fifth straight home game on Wednesday with an 11-4 victory over UMBC.
The Patriots recorded a season-high 17 hits against the Retrievers. Every player in the starting lineup had at least one hit, while eight players scored at least one run for Mason.
Junior
Alejandro Aponte went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, while senior
Michael Smith was 3-for-4 and scored two runs. Sophomore
Logan Driscoll finished 2-for-5 and drove in three runs, junior
Brady Acker went 2-for-2 with two walks and two RBI and graduate student
Frank Sturek was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Freshman right-hander
James Price (1-0) made his first collegiate start and retired the first nine batters he faced in the game. He allowed just one run on one hit over 4.0 innings to earn his first NCAA victory.
In the last five games, Mason starting pitchers have surrendered just seven runs (three earned) combined over 34.2 innings of work.
The Patriots have won 11 of their last 15 games overall, including five straight at Spuhler Field to improve to 9-2 at home this season. Mason has equaled its home win total from the 2017 season, when the Patriots finished with a record of 9-20 at Spuhler Field.
With a 3-0 record after the first weekend of Atlantic 10 action, the Patriots are in a four-way tie for first place. The Patriots are off to their best start in conference play since joining the A-10 in 2014.
Mason has a team batting average of .276 through 23 games.
Logan Driscoll leads the A-10 in average (.435), hits (40) and slugging percentage (.605) and is second in RBI (23). Senior
Trevor Kelly is batting .312 (29-for-93) and leads the Patriots in home runs (3) and is second in RBI (20).
On the mound, junior
Zach Mort (3-1) was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week after tossing a complete-game five-hitter in Mason's 4-0 win over St. Bonaventure in the conference opener on March 24. It was the first complete game of his collegiate career.
Mort leads the A-10 in strikeouts (55) and innings pitched (41.1) and ranks sixth in ERA (1.96).
The Patriots faced the Spiders in the second game of the season in the Charleston Crab House Challenge. Richmond defeated Mason 16-2 on Feb. 17 at Joe Riley Park in Charleston, S.C.
Last season, the Patriots swept a three-game series against the Spiders. Mason won by final scores of 7-6, 12-3 and 4-3 April 28-30 at Pitt Field in Richmond, Va.
SCOUTING REPORT
Richmond has an overall record of 15-9, including a mark of 2-1 against Atlantic 10 opponents. The Spiders are 12-3 at home, 2-5 on the road and 1-1 in games played at a neutral site.
Richmond took two of three games from Massachusetts the opening weekend of conference play March 23-25 at Pitt Field. The Spiders won the first game 17-5, dropped the middle game 2-1 and picked up a 7-1 win in the series finale.
The Spiders are batting .271 as a team. Senior Vinny Capra is batting .345 (30-for-87) and leads the team in hits (30) and is second in RBI (18). Junior Sage Bruhl is hitting .307 (23-for-75) and ranks third on the team in hits (23).
STRIKE ZONE
Mason is 35-55-1 all-time against Richmond. On March 9, 2011 the Patriots and Spiders played to an 8-8 tie with the game called in the tenth inning due to darkness. The tie is one of eight in Mason program history.
PROBABLE STARTERS
RHP
Zach Mort (3-1, 1.96) vs. RHP Tim Miller (2-2, 3.94)
RHP
Bryce Nightengale (1-2, 4.73) vs. RHP Aaron Winkler (2-2, 3.95)
LHP
Brian Marconi (2-0, 4.82) vs. RHP Robbie Baker (2-1, 3.62)
