Box Score (PDF)

RICHMOND, Va. – The George Mason baseball team dropped its final game of the series at VCU, 11-3, on Sunday afternoon at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.

The Rams took two-of-three in the series.

Mason (17-19, 4-5 A10) took the lead against VCU (19-17, 5-4 A10) freshman starter James Gladden in the top of the first.

With one out, junior center fielder Jordan Smith legged out an infield single.  Sophomore catcher Connor Dykstra stepped to the plate and smashed a two-run home run over the left field fence to put the Patriots in front, 2-0.

The Patriots have scored the first run in six of their last eight games.

In the bottom of the first, VCU sent 12 batters to the plate and scored nine runs on five hits against Patriots redshirt freshman starter Konner Eaton and graduate student reliever Nolan Lamere.

The first seven batters of the inning reached base safely against Eaton with two doubles, single, walk, hit by pitch, error and home run.  With three runs already across, Rams junior center fielder A. J. Mathis hit a grand slam to make the score 7-2.

With two outs, junior right fielder Cooper Benzin hit a two-run home run off Lamere to increase the advantage to 9-2.

In the home half of the fourth, VCU added a run on a RBI-double by sophomore third baseman Bandon Eike to make it 10-2.  Eike would then score on an error to pad the lead to 11-2.

Mason junior Christian Mracna and freshmen Owen Stewart and Tyler Herkey combined to toss four scoreless innings from the fifth through the eighth.

Patriots freshman Brady Powell dove in the final run of the game with a pinch-hit single in the ninth against Rams graduate student Justin Walton for the 11-3 final score.

For the Patriots, Eaton (1-2) allowed eight runs, six earned, on four hits and took the loss.  Lamere gave up three runs, one earned, on three hits in 3.1 innings.  Mracna pitched 2.0 hitless frames, while Stewart and Herkey each tossed one scoreless inning.

For the Rams, Gladden (4-1) allowed two runs on five hits in 6.0 innings to earn the win.  Freshman Maison Martinez pitched 2.0 hitless innings and sophomore Nick Frasier recorded the final three outs.

Dykstra went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, Smith was 2-for-5 and scored a run and Powell drove in a run.

The Patriots return home for a three-game set against St. Bonaventure beginning Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Spuhler Field.