The Patriots won two of three games last week to leave their record at 26-22 overall and 10-11 in the Colonial Athletic Association. George Mason won at Towson State Wednesday, 14-5, and at home against George Washington Saturday, 6-1, before falling at George Washington Sunday, 8-4.
At Towson State Wednesday, the host Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead after three innings against George Mason freshman starter Kevin Kawecki. But freshman Michael Steller (1-2) came on in the fourth and allowed just two hits and struck out two in the next four innings to get the Patriots back on track and earn his first collegiate victory. Offensively, George Mason got back in the game with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth before exploding for six runs in the sixth for a 9-5 lead, with junior Jody Rutherford (Fairfax HS) capping the inning with a three-run home run, his fourth. Sophomore Trevor Haas (South Lakes HS) added his fifth homer, a two-run shot, in the eighth as the Patriots cruised to victory.
Haas and junior Mike Colangelo (Hylton HS) were the offensive catalysts against George Washington at Raymond H. "Hap" Spuhler Field Saturday as the Patriots extended their winning streak to four games. George Mason took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Haas (2-2) and Colangelo (3-4) hit one-out singles, then both advanced twice on wild pitches before junior Trey Mosgovoy singled to drive in Colangelo. After the Colonials scored in the top of the third, Haas and Colangelo again singled and executed a double steal before Haas scored on a groundout by freshman Greg Filson (DeMatha HS) for a 3-1 lead. The Patriots added two runs in the fourth, one on a double by junior Chris Martine (2-4), and Rutherford, senior J.K. Ronay (Robinson HS) and Colangelo hit consecutive singles in the eighth to score George Mason's final run. Junior right-hander Shawn Camp (Robinson HS) allowed just three hits in seven innings, walking two and striking out three as he improved to 5-4.
George Washington rebounded from the loss to jump out to a 5-0 lead after four innings Sunday against Patriot junior Tom McGinn (Lake Braddock HS), who fell to 4-3 with the loss. Freshman Chuck Freeman (Fairfax HS), who extended his hitting streak to seven games by going 2-3 with a run batted in, and senior Rick Visconti (2-4) combined for four of George Mason's seven hits on the day.
Colangelo, who was tied for eighth in last week's NCAA national statistics with an average of 0.16 triples per game, continues to lead the Patriots with a .400 average, 16 doubles, seven triples, 59 RBI and 12 stolen bases while adding six home runs. Haas, who will be lost for 2-4 weeks with a broken bone in his right hand suffered during a slide into third base Saturday, is batting .363 with five homers, 31 RBI and 11 stolen bases, and Filson is hitting .359 with two homers and 28 RBI.
The Patriots host Maryland-Baltimore County at Spuhler Field Tuesday at 3 p.m., and in a recently added game, George Mason entertains Coppin State Saturday at 1 p.m. to conclude the regular season. The Patriots begin play in the CAA Tournament in Kinston, NC, on Tuesday, May 13.
Baseball Contact: Ben Trittipoe (993-3263)