Fourth Estate/Mitchell Richtmyre
The Patriots won the rivalry series to move to .500 in A-10 play
BY GABRIEL KING, SPORTS EDITOR
Mason baseball defeated rival George Washington in a crucial weekend series in Fairfax, Va. The Revolutionaires (19-12, 4-2 Atlantic 10) won 3-2 in the first game on Friday, but the Patriots (15-15, 3-3) bounced back with a 5-2 win on Saturday. In Sunday’s rubber match, Mason rallied in the late innings to clinch the series, 13-10.
In game one, the Revolutionaries’ pitching stifled Mason’s offense, with pitchers Michael Foltz and Jarrett Korson combining for seven shutout innings. Korson earned his second victory of the season and did allow a baserunner in 2.1 innings.
George Washington led 3-0 entering the ninth inning before Mason cut the lead with a late rally. A single from sophomore right fielder James Quinn-Irons cut the deficit to one, but the Patriots’ rally would fall short, with the game-tying run stranded on third base.
In the second game, the Patriots jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning and never trailed in the game. Quinn-Irons extended Mason’s lead with a two-run home run in the third inning, his team-leading ninth of the season.
Graduate student catcher Socrates Bardatsos added an insurance run in the seventh inning with a sacrifice fly, extending Mason’s lead to 5-1. George Washington added a run in the ninth inning, but could not rally to extend the game.
Junior pitcher Konner Eaton allowed one run in six innings with six strikeouts. Eaton won his third start of the season and lowered his season ERA to 4.91.
The two teams combined to score 23 runs in Sunday’s rubber match. Mason claimed another early lead, this time scoring six runs in the first two innings, including a two-run double from senior center fielder Jordan Smith in the second inning.
The Revolutionaries scored eight unanswered runs to take an 8-6 lead behind 4 RBIs from right fielder Sam Gates. The Patriots retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning after a two-run single from junior catcher Connor Dykstra.
Smith extended Mason’s lead in the seventh inning with his second two-run double of the game. Smith finished 4-4 with 4 RBIs and scored three times. The Patriots secured the victory after a three-inning save from sophomore pitcher Logan Rumberg, the first of his career.
The series victory moves the Patriots into a five-way tie for fourth in the A-10. George Washington suffered their first conference losses of the season in the series, moving them into a tie for second place with Saint Louis. VCU leads the conference with a 5-1 A-10 record.
Mason will begin a five-game road stretch at VMI on Wednesday. The Patriots defeated the Keydets 16-3 in March. Mason will then travel to play Dayton for a three-game series. The Patriots will look to solve their road woes during the stretch, as they are 2-11 away from Fairfax.