Box score (PDF)

TYSONS, Va. – The second-seeded George Mason baseball team fell to top-seeded Rhode Island, 4-1, in the championship final of the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship on Saturday afternoon in the at Capital One Park in Tysons, Va.

Junior center fielder James Quinn-Irons, junior pitcher Logan Rumberg, junior shortstop Owen Clyne and sophomore third baseman Jake Butler were named to the All-Championship Team.

George Mason (4-21, 20-10 A-10) took the lead against Rhode Island (38-20, 22-8) freshman Jake Cullen in the top of the first.  Clyne led off the inning with a walk, went to second on a ground out and with two outs, Butler singled through the left side with Clyne scoring from second to put the Patriots in front, 1-0.

Rhode Island took the lead for good in the bottom of the second against Patriots junior Brandon Cassedy.  After a leadoff double, graduate student first baseman D.J. Perron hit a two-run home run to right-center to make it 2-1.  The Rams added another run with a two-out RBI-double to increase the lead to 3-1.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Rams tacked on a run against Patriots graduate student reliever Daniel Elliott.  Rhode Island sophomore shortstop Reece Moroney started the inning with a double and went to third on a fly out.  Perron was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second and graduate student left fielder Nic Notarangelo then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to extend the advantage to 4-1.
For the Patriots, Cassedy (8-2) allowed three runs on four hits in 2.0 innings and took the loss in his second start of the tournament.  Elliott gave up one run on two hits in 4.0 innings in his second appearance in the tournament.  Graduate student Connor O'Hara tossed 2.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts in his second appearance including one start.

For the Rams, Cullen allowed one run on three hits in 4.1 innings in a no-decision.  Freshman Parker Aikens (4-2) scattered two hits over 3.1 scoreless innings and earned the win.  Sophomore Joe Sabbath retired all four batters that he faced to notch his eighth save of the season.