FAIRFAX, Va. – Logan Driscoll has been a monster at the plate all season for George Mason, and the junior catcher came up huge in the clutch. After the leadoff hitter reached on an error, Driscoll walked off Longwood with a deep triple to dead centerfield to win 4-3.
George Mason's defense took advantage of a Longwood miscue in the top of the ninth to keep the Lancers from scoring a go-ahead run after
Carlos Garrido led off with a double and went to third on a groundout.
Nate Blakeney hit a grounder to Jared Lyons at third, and Lyons tagged Garrido trying to dive back to the base before rifling a throw across to first to retire Blakeney.
Meanwhile,
De'Andre Pitts matched Driscoll with a huge day of his own at the plate. The Lancer junior racked up a career high four hits after going 4-4 while adding an RBI and a double.
"I thought De'Andre did a good job of understanding how he was being pitched and took some pretty good swings today," said Longwood head coach
Ryan Mau.
Pitts turned a critical double play that ended the eighth inning and gave Longwood a chance to take the lead in the ninth. With the score tied at three, George Mason had runners on first and second with one out. Pitts gobbled up a ball on the third base line, touched the third base bag and fired a beebee across the diamond to first to send the game to the ninth inning.
Neither side ever led by more than one run in a tight contest that saw the Longwood pitching staff only surrender seven hits and one earned run.
Mike Esposito was excellent in his first collegiate start, and the freshman threw a career high four innings while striking out a career high four. He surrendered three runs, one earned, on four hits and three walks.
"I thought Espo did a great job challenging with his fastball and pitching to contact," said Mau. "Later on, he found some offspeed pitches that allowed him to settle in for four innings."
Andrew Melnyk threw two scoreless relief innings before
Bryan Golnick,
Brayden Williamson and
Pedro Astacio, Jr. combined for a scoreless seventh inning, and Astacio and
Jon Peterson finished off the eighth. Together, the bullpen combined for four hitless innings from the fifth to the eighth.
"I thought the bullpen did a good job today and obviously pitched well enough to win," said Mau. "We made a couple of critical errors defensively and on the bases and couldn't overcome it.
George Mason took the lead after forcing Esposito into a jam. The Patriots loaded the bases with walks and only one out in the second inning, and Daniel Brooks hit an RBI groundout to second.
Longwood's offense had loaded the bases in the first and second innings before finally breaking through in the fourth. With two on and one out,
Antwaun Tucker yanked a ground ball just past the third base bag for an RBI double, and
Carlos Garrido followed it up with a sacrifice fly to dead center to put the Lancers up 2-1.
GMU's Aaron Yurko started a two-out rally by lining a hard single up the middle.
Jawan McAllister dropped a long fly ball in center that scored Yurko from first, and Daniel Brooks followed it up with an RBI single for a 3-2 lead.
Pitts capped a Longwood rally in the top of the fifth that tied the game. The junior swatted a line drive single to center with two on, and
Jack Schnell raced home from second to make it 3-3.
Mason Posey (1-0) earned the win for George Mason with a scoreless top of the ninth inning. He came on in relief after
Carlos Garrido doubled to start the ninth inning.
Peterson (2-1) took the loss for the Lancers on one unearned run in 0.2 innings of work.
The Lancers head out to High Point this weekend for a three game series with the Panthers this Friday through Sunday as they continue on their nine-game road swing. Friday night's first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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