University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
at George Mason
Spider Baseball Falls At George Mason, 12-6
04/12/2005 | Baseball
April 12, 2005
FAIRFAX, Va. - The Richmond baseball squad pushed six runs across in the first inning at Spuhler Field in Fairfax, Va., but George Mason rallied with 12 unanswered for a 12-6 win Tuesday afternoon. The loss, Richmond's seventh-consecutive, drops the team to 14-18 overall, while the Patriots improve to 18-10.
The Spiders began the six-run inning, their largest single-inning output of the season, when junior Ben Zeskind walked to lead off the inning. Three batters later, freshman Joe Mahoney garnered an RBI-single to center to score Zeskind from third. Mahoney's single began a string of four-straight basehits off the Richmond bats. Sophomore Matt McKenna ended the string with an RBI-groundout for the second out of the inning. Freshman Austin Reilly reached on an error later in the inning as freshman Drew Poiter came across for the sixth and final run of the frame.
The Patriots answered with three in their half of the first. Senior John Cronin, who made his first career start, struckout the first batter he faced then walked Matt Cooksey, who stole second and scored on an ensuing single through the left side. After a popout and a hit-by-pitch, Cronin allowed two more RBI-singles to make the score 6-3.
George Mason, which made a pitching change before the end of the first inning, moved through the next four innings by not allowing a hit and retiring 12 of 14 Spider batters.
The Patriots scored one more in the second then took the lead in the third by scoring five runs on four hits off Cronin. The Spiders did not have an answer, leaving the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh and stranding a runner at third in the eighth
The Patriots tacked on two in the sixth with back-to-back homers off reliever junior Wyatt Stewart, marking the first time the Spiders gave up consecutive dingers since March 24, 2004 against Virginia Tech. Freshman David Solan came on in the seventh and surrendered the final run of the game to make it 12-6.
Richmond returns to Pitt Field Wednesday, April 13, when it hosts James Madison at 3 p.m. The Spiders will remain at home this weekend in an Atlantic 10 series against George Washington which begins Saturday, April 16, at noon.
Game Notes
- Junior Ben Zeskind extended his hit streak to eight game with a single in his second plate appearance in the first inning.
- Freshman Alex Hale has reached base in each of the last 17 games he has been in the lineup.
- Richmond's six runs in the first inning tie the most it has scored in a single-inning this season. The Spiders pushed six across in the ninth inning against Coppin State on opening day.
- George Mason's back-to-back homers in the sixth were the first given up by Richmond this season and mark the first since Virginia Tech hit consecutive homers March 24, 2004.
