Box score (PDF)
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team took two-of-three in the series against Monmouth with a 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon at Spuhler Field.
 
Graduate student starting pitcher Danny Hosley won his first game in a Mason uniform, while junior Matthew Henson tossed two scoreless frames and senior Mason Posey struck out three over two scoreless innings to notch his second save of the season.
 
Mason (5-6) took the lead in the bottom of the first against Monmouth (5-5) senior starter Rob Hensey.
 
Junior first baseman South Trimble led off with a single to right field and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.  With two outs, freshman catcher Connor Dykstra walked and graduate student left fielder Kamron Smith laced a single to left, with Trimble racing home to put the Patriots in front, 1-0.
 
It marked the third time in the last five outings that Trimble has reached base to lead off the game and scored the first run.
 
The Hawks evened the score in the top of the second when junior third baseman James Harmstead hit a two-out, solo home run to left-center.
 
In the top of the third, Monmouth senior center fielder Jake Catalano led off with a double and scored on a throwing error to give the Hawks a 2-1 edge.
 
The Patriots took the lead for good in the home half of the third.
 
Trimble and freshman shortstop Carsen Pracht began the inning with back-to-back singles.  After a double play, Dykstra singled to put runners on first and third.  Smith then drove in his second run of the game with an infield single, with Pracht crossing the plate to tie the game, 2-2.
 
Senior third baseman Daniel Brooks kept the inning going when he reached on a throwing error by the shortstop, and with the ball getting past the Hawks first baseman, both Dykstra and Smith raced around to score on the miscue to give the Patriots a 4-2 lead.   
 
The Patriots tacked on a big run in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Sophomore second baseman Brett Stallings led off with a single and Trimble ripped a one-out double to the left field wall to put runners on second and third.  Freshman shortstop Carsen Pracht followed with a RBI-single to knock in the eventual game-winning run to extend the lead to 5-4.
 
The Patriots bullpen and defense did the rest.
 
In the top of the seventh with runners on first and second and one out, Pracht saved a run with a diving play to get the force at second base.  On the next Hawks batter, freshman center fielder Brett Ahalt tracked down a deep fly ball to make the catch at the wall in left-center for the final out of the inning.
 
Henson and Posey combined for four scoreless innings, with five strikeouts, out of the Mason bullpen.
 
For the Patriots, Hosley (1-1) allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits in 5.0 innings to earn his first win as a Patriot.  Henson surrendered just one hit and struck out two in 2.0 innings.  Posey retired all six batters he faced with three strikeouts to record his second career save.
 
For the Hawks, Hensey (0-2) allowed five runs, three earned, on nine hits in 4.0 innings and took the loss.  Senior Stephen Aldrich pitched three scoreless frames and freshman Reed Interdonato tossed one scoreless inning.
 
Smith finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, Trimble went 3-for-5 and scored a run, and Ahalt finished 2-for-4.
 
The Patriots travel to face Wake Forest on Wednesday with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. at David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, N.C.