Box score (PDF)
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The Patriots rallied in the late innings but dropped the first game of the series to Massachusetts, 10-7, in 11 innings on Friday at Spuhler field.
 
Sophomore designated hitter James Quinn-Irons hit his 10th home run, a three-run blast in the eighth and senior center fielder Jordan Smith drove in the tying run with a single in the home half of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
 
Massachusetts (13-20, 4-6 A10) took the lead in the top of the second against Mason (16-19, 4-6 A10) senior starter Nick Martins.
 
With two outs and runners on first and second, UMass freshman first baseman Marc Willi doubled to the wall in right-center to put the Minutemen in front, 2-0.
 
The Patriots dented the scoreboard in the home half of the second.  Quinn-Irons led off with an infield single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore third baseman Evan Blanchard. 
 
Junior shortstop Carsen Pracht singled to put runners on the corners and with two outs, the Patriots executed a double steal, with Quinn-Irons sliding home safely to make it a 2-1 game.
 
The Minutemen scored a run in the top of the third on a two-out RBI-single by junior third baseman Jack Beverly to increase the lead to 3-1.
 
In the top of the fourth, UMass senior catcher Michael Toth led off with a single and Willi followed with a double to put a pair of runners in scoring position.  Sophomore second baseman Jack Peters plated a run with a sacrifice bunt and senior center fielder Kevin Skagerland drove in another to extend the advantage to 5-1.
 
UMass graduate student pitcher Leif Bigelow kept the Patriots off the board from the second through the sixth.
 
In the top of the seventh, Beverly hit a leadoff home run off Mason sophomore reliever Logan Rumberg to make the score 6-1.
 
The Patriots began their comeback in the bottom of the seventh. 
 
Junior first baseman Reece Woody led off with an infield single and with one out, Blanchard tripled off the top of the left field fence to make it 6-2.  Pracht then stepped to the plate and drove in a run with a single to center to trim the lead to 6-3.
 
The Minutemen tacked on a run in the top of the eighth against Mason freshman reliever Ty Uchman with back-to-back one-out doubles to pad the lead to 7-3.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, junior catcher Connor Dykstra and Woody both singled off UMass senior reliever Zach Given to put runners on the corners.  Quinn-Irons then belted a three-run home run to left-center to make it a one-run game, 7-6.
 
Pracht walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth against UMass sophomore Mikey Jensen.  Mason senior left fielder Derek Wood dropped down a two-strike sacrifice bunt to move Parcht into scoring position.
 
With two outs, Smith singled up the middle to plate the tying run and send the game into extra innings.
 
With two outs in the top of the 11th, the Minutemen put two runners on with a walk and a single against Mason sophomore Owen Stewart.
 
UMass junior right fielder Carter Hansen then hit a three-run home run off Mason junior Chad Gartland for the 10-7 final score.
 
For the Patriots, Martins allowed five runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings.  Rumberg gave up one run on four hits in 3.2 innings.  Uchman surrendered one run on one hit and retired one batter.  Stewart (1-1) was charged with two runs on one hit in 2.2 innings and took the loss. 
 
For the Minutemen, sophomore Sam Belliveau made the start and pitched the first inning.  Bigelow allowed three runs on five hits in 5.1 innings.  Givens surrendered three runs on three hits in 1.2 innings.  Jensen (1-2) allowed one run on one hit in 2.0 innings and earned the win.  Freshman Andrew Middleton pitched the 11th to earn his first collegiate save.
 
Quinn-Irons went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and scored two runs and Woody was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.  Smith, Blanchard and Pracht each drove in a run.
 
The Patriots and Minutemen play the middle game of the series on Saturday afternoon with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at Spuhler Field.