Box score (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason baseball team won its fourth straight game with a 12-11 victory over Monmouth on Saturday afternoon at Spuhler Field.

THE LEADOFF

• Junior center fielder James Quinn-Irons had two hits including his fifth home run of the season
• Sophomore third baseman Jake Butler hit his second home run of the year and drove in two runs
• Graduate student first baseman Jonny Wall went 2-for-2 with a double and a triple
• Graduate student Daniel Elliott (1-0) tossed 2.0 innings of one-hit ball for his first win as a Patriot
• Five Patriots had a multi-hit game
• George Mason has scored 85 runs over the last seven games

Monmouth (3-6) took the lead against George Mason graduate student starter Connor O'Hara (6-4) in the first inning.  Hawks graduate student second baseman Casey Caufield doubled, advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt and scored on a single by graduate student left fielder Chris Andrews to make it 1-0.

With two out in the home half of the inning, Quinn-Irons and Butler hit back-to-back solo home runs to left field off Hawks junior starter Tommy Kent to give the Patriots a 2-1 lead.

Monmouth scored two unearned runs in the top of the second to take a 3-2 lead for the second straight game.

George Mason then scored eight unanswered runs.

In the bottom of the third, freshman left fielder Lucas Alberti led off with a double and sophomore designated hitter Owen Hull drove in a run with a single to right-center to tie the game, 3-3.  After Hull stole second, Quinn-Irons walked.  The Patriots then executed a double steal, with Hull scoring on a throwing error to put the Patriots in front, 4-3.

With two on and two out, junior shortstop Owen Clyne reached on an error with Quinn-Irons and Butler crossing the plate to make it 6-3.

The Patriots took advantage of two Hawks errors and added two unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth to increase the lead to 8-3.  Butler plated a run with a sacrifice fly and freshman catcher Andrew Raymond knocked in another with a single.

In the bottom of the fifth, Clyne was hit by a pitch to start the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.  Junior right fielder Drew Canody then knocked in a run with an infield single.  After Canody stole both second and third, Hull tripled to left-center to pad the lead to 10-3.

Monmouth put runners on second and third in the top of the seventh when Caufield was hit by a pitch and senior first baseman Jay Bant doubled.  Andrews followed with a RBI-single.

The Patriots scored two important insurance runs in the home half of the seventh.

Wall led off with a triple to left-center and Canody drove him in with a double to right.  With two outs, Quinn-Irons singled to short, with Canody rumbling home from third bast to make it 12-4.

In the top of the ninth, the Hawks sent 10 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on five hits to make it a one-run game, but the Patriots held on for the win.

For the Patriots, O'Hara allowed three unearned runs on four hits in 4.0 innings.  Graduate student Daniel Elliott (1-0) tossed 2.0 innings of one-hit ball for his first win as a Patriot.

For the Hawks, Kent (1-2) allowed six runs, three earned, on five hits over 3.0 innings and took the loss.

The Patriots and Hawks wrap up the series on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. at Spuhler Field.