BASEBALL WRAP-UP
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'96 CAA Baseball Championship Page
May 20, 1996
BASEBALL WRAP-UP
Go to
'96 CAA Baseball Championship Page
May 20, 1996
The Patriots brought an end to a disappointing season last week as they lost both of their games in the Colonial Athletic Association Baseball Tournament at Grainger Stadium in Kinston, N.C. The fourth seed in the tournament, George Mason lost to No. 5 East Carolina Tuesday, 1-0, in the first round, then was eliminated by No. 8 William & Mary Wednesday, 5-4 in 10 innings, to finish the season with an overall record of 25-29, 12-9 in the CAA.
Junior catcher Adam Virant and sophomore center fielder Mike Colangelo (Hylton HS) each were selected to the All-CAA second team in voting by the league's head coaches.
George Mason sent sophomore right-hander Shawn Camp (Robinson HS) to the mound Tuesday and he responded with his fourth complete game of the season, allowing five hits, walking one and striking out nine, but the Pirates pushed across a run in the top of the fourth that proved to be all they would need to hand Camp his second loss of the season. East Carolina sophomore right-hander Patrick Dunham, a first-team All-CAA selection, improved to 8-4 as he allowed just three hits, walked three and fanned 10 in pitching his second shutout of the season. The loss marked the first time in 39 CAA Tournament games the Patriots have been shutout.
Another first came Wednesday as George Mason was eliminated from the tournament without a victory for the first time in the event's 11-year history. The Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth as sophomore Lee Kansteiner (Robinson HS) singled, went to second as sophomore Trey Mosgovoy walked and scored on a single by senior Brad Midgett. William & Mary rallied with three runs in the top of the sixth, but George Mason surged back in front with three runs in the bottom of the seventh as two scored on a bases-loaded error and Colangelo drove in the other with a sacrifice fly. The Tribe rallied again as sophomore Ron Bush homered in the top of the eighth to tie the score, then William & Mary pushed across an unearned run in the 10th for the winning tally. Junior Drew Johnson dropped to 1-4 as he pitched 2 innings in relief of junior starter John Fulcher (Stonewall Jackson HS).
Colangelo led the Patriots with a .361 batting average and seven triples, which led the CAA and ranked among the top 20 in the nation, and added 12 doubles, five home runs and 38 runs batted in. Junior outfielder Rick Visconti batted .340 and led George Mason with 13 doubles while adding four homers and 44 RBI. Virant batted .314 with 26 RBI, freshman Trevor Haas (South Lakes HS) hit .306 with 11 doubles and 21 RBI, Kansteiner batted .303 with 10 doubles, six homers and 34 RBI, and senior Jay Burkhart led the Patriots with 13 home runs and 53 RBI.
On the mound, Camp led George Mason with a 6-2 record, 3.16 earned run average, four saves, four complete games and 73 strikeouts while tying with Johnson and junior Mickey Maestas for the team lead with 18 appearances. Fulcher tied Camp for most victories with a 6-3 record, led the Patriots with 70 innings and was second with 62 strikeouts, which gave him 151 strikeouts for his career to set a George Mason record. Sophomore Tom McGinn (Lake Braddock HS) tied with Fulcher for the team lead in games started at 10, was second in innings with 65 , third in strikeouts with 53, and added a 4-5 record and 5.07 ERA.