March 14, 2008

Box Score

The George Mason baseball team got four runs in the first inning but the bats stayed quiet for the rest of the game as Georgia State scored nine unanswered runs to beat the Patriots, handing Mason its first Colonial Athletic Association loss of the season, 9-5 at Spuhler Field.

The Patriots (5-9, 2-1) struck first with one big hit and a lot of patience. Spencer Wiggins, Chris Henderson and Scott Krieger, the first three Mason hitters, all drew walks as Georgia State starter Robinson Polanco threw 11 straight balls at one point. Justin Bour followed with a grand slam to centerfield, his team-high fifth home run of the season.

Polanco settled down after the home run, retiring 11 straight Mason batters until Aaron Tenny's two-out single in the fourth. Georgia State (10-5, 1-3), meanwhile got the leadoff runner on in the second, third, fourth and fifth but couldn't push a run across. That changed in the sixth.

Derek Simmons led off the frame with a walk. Marc Mimeault followed with a double to put a pair in scoring position with no outs. After Bradley Logan struck out, Jonathan Kolowich drove in the Panthers' first run with a sacrifice fly to center. Hogan's infield single plated Mimeault and made it 4-2.

Mason looked ready to put some more runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth as Krieger and Bour led off the frame with singles but Ryan Soares popped up a sacrifice bunt attempt, Mark Hill struck out and Tenney grounded out. In the seventh, Jean-Michel Rochon-Salvas doubled to lead off and Chase Childers followed with an RBI single up the middle. That ended the day for starter Mike Modica and brought Jason Koziol into the game. Koziol got a ground out, a strike out and a fly out to end the threat, and keep the score at 4-3.

The Panthers finally took the lead in the eighth when Logan led off with a double, Hogan walked and the runners advanced on a wild pitch. With the score tied at 4-4, pinch hitter Dusty Bennett singled up the middle to make it 5-4. Koziol left and T.J. O'Grady came on and Rochan-Salvas followed with a single to left and Childers doubled down the rightfield line to make it 6-4. After Rider was intentionally walked, Simmons struck out to make it two outs. But Memeault singled up the middle to make it 8-4 and Logan followed with a base hit to right to make it a five-run lead and put the game out of reach.

In the ninth, Hill led of with by reaching on an error and Tenny walked before Brent Weiss grounded out and Ryan Uphouse struck out. Wiggins kept the inning alive when he was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Henderson followed with a single up the middle to make it 9-5. But Krieger struck out to end the game.

The three-game series will continue on Saturday with game time set for 1 p.m. Sunday's contest will also begin at 1 p.m.