Game One Box score (PDF)
Game Two Box score (PDF)

HOLLY SPRINGS N.C. – The George Mason baseball team split a doubleheader with Purdue on Saturday at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, N.C.
 
Mason senior center fielder Jordan Smith hit for the cycle in the Patriots 11-9 victory over the Boilermakers in game one.  Mason fell to Purdue in the nightcap, 12-5.
 
In the two games, Smith went 5-for-8 with two RBI and four runs scored.  Sophomore right fielder James Quinn-Irons was 4-for-9 with three RBI and two runs scored.  Graduate student left fielder Ben Jones finished 4-for-6 and scored two runs.
 
GAME ONE
 
Smith hit a home run in the first, singled in the second, tripled in the sixth and doubled in the seventh for the cycle.
 
Mason (2-4) sent eight batters to the plate in the top of the first and took the lead against Purdue (4-2) senior starter Jonathan Blackwell.
 
With one out, Smith hit a solo home run over the right field fence to put the Patriots in front, 1-0.  The Patriots then loaded the bases with singles by Jones, Quinn-Irons and junior first baseman Reece Woody.  With two outs, Jones raced home on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
 
In the top of the second, junior shortstop Carsen Pracht and graduate student second baseman South Trimble both singled and scored on an error to increase the lead to 4-0. 
 
Purdue got on the board in the bottom of the second against Mason sophomore starter Konner Eaton.  After a leadoff single and a hit batter, a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position.  Sophomore shortstop Camden Gasser then drove in a run with a single to left to make the score 4-1.
 
In the top of the fourth, the Patriots sent 11 batters to the plate and scored four runs on four hits to increase the advantage to 8-1. 
 
Smith knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly, Pracht scored on a throwing error and Quinn-Irons and Woody each delivered with a RBI-single.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Purdue senior right fielder Keenan Taylor drove in a pair of runs with a two-out double to cut the Mason lead to 8-3.
 
The Patriots added two runs in the top of the sixth.  Smith led off with a triple and with one out, he scored on a wild pitch.  With two outs, Woody and junior designated hitter Connor Dykstra each singled.  Graduate student catcher Socrates Bardatsos then plated another run with a two-out double to right field, with Woody scoring from second, to extend the lead to 10-3.
 
The Boilermakers responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 10-6.  Graduate student Aaron Dolney singled in a run, Gasser plated a run with a double and junior pinch-hitter Camden Melvin drove in a run with a ground out.
 
In the top of the seventh, Mason sophomore third baseman Evan Blanchard led off with a home run to right field to add to the Patriots lead, 11-6.
 
The Boilermakers scored three two-out runs in the bottom of the ninth to trim the Patriots advantage to 11-9 before a fly out ended the game.
 
For the Patriots, Eaton allowed three runs on five hits in 3.1 innings with six strikeouts in a no-decision.  Graduate student Luke Goodyear (1-0) retired two batters in his outing to record his first win as a Patriot.  Senior Kyle Menaker gave up three runs on one hit in 1.0 inning.  Junior Britt Yount scattered two hits over 3.0 scoreless innings.  Sophomore Ryan Edmonds allowed three runs on four hits in the ninth.
 
For the Boilermakers, Blackwell (0-1) allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 3.1 innings and took the loss.  Freshman Brayden Olson gave up four runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings.  Junior Carter Doorn pitched 3.0 scoreless innings.
 
GAME TWO
 
The Patriots (2-5) took the early lead in the top of the first against Purdue (5-2) senior starter Kyle Iwinski.
 
With one out, Smith and Jones singled to put runners on the corners.  Quinn-Irons followed with another single, with Smith coasting home to put the Patriots in front, 1-0.
 
In the bottom of the second, the Boilermakers tied the game when junior first baseman Luke Gaffney led off with a home run off Mason sophomore starts Logan Rumberg.
 
Pracht and Trimble started the top of the third with back-to-back singles to once again put Patriots on the corners with no outs.  With one out, Jones walked to load the bases and Quinn-Irons drove in both Smith and Trimble with a double to right field to make it 3-1 Mason.
 
Purdue then scored 11 unanswered runs from the third through the sixth inning to take a 12-3 lead.  The Boilermakers plated four runs in both the fifth and the sixth.
 
Mason junior left fielder Brandon Parks drove in the final two runs of the game with a ground out in the seventh and a single in the ninth for the 12-5 final score.
 
For the Patriots, Rumberg (0-1) allowed seven runs, six earned, on six hits and struck out five without a walk and took the loss.  Freshman Cole Egan gave up four runs on three hits in 1.0 inning.  Freshman Toby Hueber allowed one run on four hits and fanned six batters without a walk in 3.0 innings.
 
NEXT
 
The Patriots and Boilermakers play the final game of the series on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, N.C.