Box score (PDF)

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Patriots scored five unanswered runs, including four runs over the last three innings, in a 6-4 win over The Citadel on Sunday afternoon at Joseph P. Riley Park in Charleston, S.C.

The Patriots rallied for a 4-1 deficit to earn the first win over the Bulldogs in program history. 

Graduate student Danny Hosley moved from third base to the mound for the fifth, and allowed just two singles over five scoreless innings to earn the win.

Mason (8-14, 0-0 A-10) fell behind in the first inning when The Citadel (16-7, 0-0 SoCon) plated a run against sophomore starter Ryan Peterson.

With two outs, senior left fielder Cole Simpson reached on a throwing error and graduate student right fielder Ryan McCarthy followed with a triple to right, putting the Bulldogs in front with the unearned run, 1-0.

The Citadel loaded the bases on three walks in the bottom of the second.  Freshman designated hitter Garrett Dill then scrambled home from third base on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

In the home half of the third, McCarthy walked and scored on a RBI-single by junior third baseman Noah Mitchell to increase the advantage to 3-0.

Mason dented the scoreboard in the top of the fourth against The Citadel sophomore starter Ben Hutchins.

With two outs, freshman catcher Connor Dykstra began the comeback with the big fly, smashing his team-leading fourth home run of the season over the left field fence to cut the Bulldogs lead to 3-1. 

The Bulldogs got the run back in the bottom of the fourth.  Senior center fielder Wesley Lane and freshman second baseman Dylan Costa each drew a one-out walk.  The Patriots then summoned senior Matthew Henson from the bullpen.

After a fielder's choice ground out, Simpson singled through the left side, with Lane crossing the plate to make it a 4-1 game.

In the top of the fifth, the Patriots loaded the bases when freshman designated hitter Yogie Hartigan and right fielder Alex Knapp each walked, and freshman shortstop Carsen Pracht was hit by a pitch.

Mason second baseman Brett Stallings then drove in his fifth run of the series with a single to right field, with Hartigan cruising home to make it a two-run game, 4-2.  The Bulldogs limited the damage with an inning-ending double play.

Hosley took over on the mound for the fifth, and after the Bulldogs loaded the bases with a hit batsman and a pair of two-out singles, he wiggled out of the jam with an inning-ending ground out.  It would be the lone threat of the game that The Citadel generated against Hosley, as he silenced the Bulldog bats the rest of the way.

With one out in the top of the seventh, The Citadel brought in junior reliever Simon Graf from the bullpen, and he allowed all three batters he faced to reach base.

Senior first baseman Scott Morgan singled, while Knapp and Pracht each walked to load the bases.  After a pitching change, Stallings plated Morgan with a sacrifice fly for his team-leading 17th RBI of the season to make it a one-run game, 4-3.

Stallings drove in two runs in each of the three games in the series, and now has six two-RBI games this season.

In the top of the eighth, Dykstra led off with a single and senior third baseman Daniel Brooks singled to put runners on the corners against Bulldogs graduate student reliever Tyler Dunn.

Mason graduate student left fielder Kamron Smith then grounded into a fielder's choice, with Dykstra scoring the tying run.

A single by Morgan loaded the bases to set the table for Pracht, who connected for a ground-rule double that bounced over the left field fence, with Kamron Smith scoring on the play to put the Patriots in front, 5-4.

The Patriots added an insurance run in the ninth with two outs.  Dykstra singled and Brooks walked before Kamron Smith plated his second run of the game with a RBI-single, with Dykstra racing home for the final run of the day to make it 6-4.

For the Patriots, Peterson allowed four runs, three earned, on two hits in 3.1 innings in a no-decision.  Henson gave up a hit and retired two batters in the fourth inning.  Hosley (2-3) surrendered only two singles and struck out four over 5.0 scoreless innings to earn the win.

For the Bulldogs, Hutchins allowed two runs on four hits in 6.1 innings before turning the game over to the bullpen.  Graf gave up a run and didn't retire a batter in the seventh.  Dunn (1-1) allowed three runs on six hits in 1.2 innings and took the loss.

Every player in the Patriots lineup reached base at least once in the game. 

Dykstra went 3-for-5 with one RBI and scored three runs, Stallings was 1-for-4 and drove in two runs, and Kamron Smith finished 1-for-5 with two RBI.  Jordan Smith and Morgan each finished with two hits in the game.

The Patriots begin a four-game homestand with a midweek contest against Maryland on Wednesday, March 30, with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Spuhler Field.