• Freshman designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green went 3-for-4 with two triples.
• Freshman outfielder Craig Miles, Jr. tripled and drove in a season-high three runs.
• Freshman catcher Jake Manderson drove in his first two collegiate runs.

Box score (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team rallied in the late innings but dropped its second straight game to Iona College, 8-6, on Saturday afternoon at Spuhler Field in Fairfax, Va.

Mason (0-8) senior starter James Beasley got off to a strong start, retiring the first eight Iona (2-7) batters he faced in the game.

The Gaels broke through with two outs in the top of the third inning.  Iona junior infielder Derek Becker singled and went to third on a throwing error.  Sophomore infielder Jake Liberatore followed with a single through the right side, with Becker crossing the plate to put Iona in front 1-0.

Iona senior outfielder Brian Picone kept the inning going with a single to put runners on first and second.  After a wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position, sophomore infielder Jake Field plated a pair of runs with a double to right field to increase the Gaels lead to 3-0.

Iona doubled the lead in the top of the fifth.  Liberatore started the inning with a walk and Picone then homered over the left field wall to make the score 5-0.  Field doubled, advanced to third on a throwing error and scored on a fielding error to increase the advantage to 6-0.

The Patriots made a pitching change for the sixth inning, with sophomore Stuart Barrett taking over for Beasley.  The Gaels loaded the bases on one of six Mason errors in the game, a walk and a single before Field grounded into a fielder's choice to drive in a run to extend the lead to 7-0.

Iona starter Mario Ferraioli allowed four Patriots into scoring position in his outing, but didn't allow a run.

Mason rallied in the seventh against Gaels freshman reliever Ryan Martin.  The first five batters of the inning reached base.

Junior infielder Daniel Brooks and freshman infielder Corey Leadenham walked to start the frame.  Freshman outfielder Craig Miles, Jr. then cleared the bases with a triple to left-center.  Sophomore Jack Fitzgerald delivered a pinch hit, RBI single to cut the lead to 7-3.

With two outs, graduate student outfielder Jack DeLongchamps and freshman designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green collected back-to-back singles to load the bases.  Freshman catcher Jake Manderson drove in two runs with a single to center to make it a 7-5 game.

Iona graduate student reliever Brendan Smith got the final out of the inning to strand the bases loaded.

Iona added an insurance run in the top of the eighth on a double and a sacrifice fly and the score was 8-5.

With one out in the home half of the ninth, Miller-Green walked and Manderson reached on an error, with both runners moving into scoring position.  Brooks was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  After a pop out, Miles walked to force in a run, but Iona reliever James Sharkey recorded a strikeout to end the game.

Beasley (0-3) allowed six runs, two earned, on six hits and struck out seven in 5.0 innings and took the loss.  Barrett surrendered two unearned runs on four hits and struck out four in 3.0 innings, while Miller-Green pitched a scoreless ninth for the Patriots.

Ferraioli (1-1) scattered five hits over six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and two walks to earn his first win of the season.  Sharkey pitched the final two innings, allowing an unearned run, to pick up his first save of the year.

Miller-Green went 3-for-4 with two triples and scored a run, Miles tripled and walked and drove in three runs, while DeLongchamps and Leadenham each finished 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Patriots.

The top of the order for Iona, Liberatore, Picone and Field, combined to go 7-for-12 with six RBI and six runs scored in the game.  Each team finished with 11 hits.

The Patriots and Gaels wrap up the series on Sunday with the first pitch slated for 1 p.m. at Spuhler Field in Fairfax, Va.