Box score (PDF)

DAYTON, Ohio – The George Mason baseball team fell in the final game of its series against Dayton, 14-3, in seven innings on Sunday afternoon at Woerner Field in Dayton, Ohio.

The game was stopped in the seventh due to the 10-run rule.  Dayton took three-of-four in the series.

Mason (9-18, 2-6 A-10) fell behind in the first inning when Dayton (14-23, 4-4 A-10) sent eight batters to the plate against graduate student starter Ryan Stoudemire.

The Flyers scored three runs on three hits and two walks, and took advantage of an error to take a 3-0 lead.

The Patriots responded in the top of the second against Dayton freshman starter Parker Bard.  With one out, senior right fielder Bailey Klein doubled down the left field line. Graduate student catcher Kyle Hayes then singled to left, with Klein racing home to make it a 3-1 game.

In the bottom of the second, the Flyers sent eight batters to the plate for the second straight inning, and scored four runs on three hits to extend the lead to 7-1.  Junior third baseman Riley Tirotta had the big hit with a two-run double.  The Patriots summoned junior Stuart Barret from the bullpen and he ended the inning with a pair of strikeouts.
The Patriots used the long ball to score single runs in the third and fourth.

Mason sophomore center fielder South Trimble hit his first home run in the third, a solo blast to right to make the score 7-2.  Hayes belted his first Mason home run in the fourth, a solo shot to left-center to cut the lead to 7-3.

Dayton then scored seven unanswered runs over the next three innings.

The Flyers added a run in the bottom of the fourth.  Junior shortstop Ben Blackwell was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning.  He later raced home when junior designated hitter Marcos Pujols intentionally got caught in a rundown for an 8-3 lead.

In the fifth, Blackwell hit a two-out grand slam off of Mason junior Nick Zegna, his fifth home run of the season, to extend the lead to 12-3.

In the seventh, Blackwell, who scored five runs in the game, reached on an error before Pujols ended the game with a two-run homer off of Mason junior Matthew Henson, putting the Flyers up by at least 10 runs at 14-3.

For the Patriots, Stoudemire (1-7) allowed seven runs, five earned, on six hits in 1.1 innings and took the loss.  Barrett surrendered runs on two hits in 3.0 innings.  Zegna allowed one run on one hit in 1.2 innings, and Henson faced three batters, allowing two runs on one hit.

For the Flyers, Bard allowed three runs on six hits in 6.0 innings to earn the win.  He struck out a career-high 10 batters.  Junior Jake Silverstein pitched a hitless ninth.

Hayes went 2-for-2 with a walk, solo home run and two RBI, while Trimble's home run accounted for the other run for the Patriots.

The Patriots are back in action when they travel to take on VCU April 30 through May 2 in Richmond, Va.