Box score (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team surrendered a run in the ninth and dropped its home opener to Navy, 7-6, on Wednesday afternoon at Spuhler Field in Fairfax, Va.
 
Mason (3-5) took the lead in the first inning against Navy (5-2) senior starter Trent Topping.
 
Junior first baseman South Trimble led off with an infield single and freshman shortstop Carsen Pracht followed with his first double of the season to left-center, with Trimble rumbling around to score to put the Patriots in front, 1-0.
 
After a ground out moved Pracht to third, graduate student left fielder Kamron Smith knocked in his sixth run on the season with a single to right on a one-two pitch to make it a 2-0 game.
 
The Patriots have scored the first run in three of their last four games.
 
The Midshipmen responded in the top of the second against Patriots senior starter Mason Posey.
 
Navy sophomore third baseman Logan Keller began the frame with a single and scored on a triple by senior first baseman Zach Stevens.  Junior catcher Alex Smith then hit his second home run of the season, a two-run blast to left-center to give the Midshipmen a 3-2 advantage.
 
The Patriots plated the next four runs in the game.
 
In the home half of the fourth, freshman catcher Tyler Cotten got things started with a single to right against Navy sophomore reliever Zach Powers. 
 
That set the stage for freshman center fielder Brett Ahalt, who worked the count full before belting a two-run home run over the left field fence to vault the Patriots back in front, 4-3.
 
For Ahalt, it was his first collegiate round tripper and the first two RBI of his career.
 
The Patriots added on with a two-out rally in the fifth.
 
Kamron Smith battled to a full count and then doubled to left.  Senior designated hitter Scott Morgan then knocked in his first run of the season with a single, and a batter later he raced around from first to score on a double by Cotten to increase the Patriots lead to 6-3.
 
Navy tied the game in the top of the sixth.  After the first two batters reached on a hit batsman and a walk, junior right fielder Colin Smith hit a three-run home run to left-center to make the score 6-6.
 
With one out in the top of the ninth, Navy put a pair of runners on base with a hit by pitch and a walk.  Colin Smith, who finished with four RBI on the day, drove in the eventual game-winning run with a line-drive single to center.
 
For the Patriots, Posey allowed three runs on three hits in 2.0 innings.  Freshman Diego Barrett tossed two scoreless innings and allowed one hit.  Sophomore Stephen Restuccio surrendered three runs on one hit in one inning of work.  Junior Matthew Henson threw two hitless innings.  Sophomore Christian Mracna (0-3) gave up one run on two hits in 2.0 innings.
 
Kamron Smith, Cotten and Trimble each had two hits in the game.
 
For the Midshipmen, Topping allowed three runs on five hits in 3.0 innings.  Powers gave up three runs on five hits in 1.2 innings.  Junior Thomas Russell (1-0) tossed 3.1 hitless innings to earn the win, while sophomore Nolan Jorgenson pitched the ninth to notch the save.
 
The Patriots are back home for a three-game series against Monmouth starting Friday, with the first pitch for the first game scheduled for 2:30 p.m.