March 11, 2008

BOX SCORE

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University dropped a 3-2 baseball decision to visiting George Mason University Tuesday at Lancer Stadium in Farmville. The Lancers are now 6-5 this season while the Patriots, who scored three runs in the fifth inning, improved to 5-7. Longwood and George Mason will play another game on Thursday, March 13, in Fairfax beginning at 2:30 p.m..

Longwood scored a run in the fourth inning and briefly led 1-0 before George Mason pushed across three runs in the fifth to lead 3-1. The Lancers closed the margin to 3-2 with a run in the sixth inning but the score stood as the final. In the fourth, junior Robbie Bailey/Mechanicsville (Hanover) (1-3) doubled down the left-field line to open the frame, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from junior Jon Quigley/Annandale (W.T. Woodson) (0-2), and scored on an RBI ground-out by freshman Justin Morreim/Virginia Beach (Frank W. Cox) (1-4, 2 RBI). Morreim added an RBI single in the sixth that scored junior Paul Heidler II/Warrenton (Notre Dame Academy) (2-3) who had reached on a one-out single. Heidler’s two hits led the Lancers at the plate.

George Mason enjoyed its three-run fifth inning behind an opposite-field solo home run to left by Shane Davis (1-3, RBI), a one-out RBI double from Chris Henderson (1-4, RBI), and what proved to be the decisive run was scored by Spencer Wiggins (1-4) on a wild pitch with one out as well. Ryan Soares (2-4) had two hits to lead the Patriots.

Longwood freshman Chris Briere/Midlothian (James River) (1-1) took the pitching loss with the first 7.2 innings, allowing eight hits and three earned runs with six strikeouts. Ryan Brecko (1-0) earned the mound win for George Mason, yielding just three hits and two earned runs with three strikeouts over the first 5.1 innings. T.J. O’Grady (1) picked-up the save for the Patriots with the final 1.0 scoreless inning, allowing one hit with one strikeout.