FAIRFAX, VA (March 25 2001) -- Sophomore Evan Howard's two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning capped a three-run rally and lifted George Mason to a 5-4 victory over Old Dominion in a Colonial Athletic Association college baseball game Sunday afternoon at Raymond H. *Hap* Spuhler Field.
George Mason broke a two-game losing streak as it improved to 9-13 overall, 1-2 in the CAA. Old Dominion had a three-game win streak snapped as it dropped to 11-16 overall, 4-2 in the CAA.
Howard (2-5) capped an improbable comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Patriots scored three unearned runs to make a loser of Monarchs senior J.D. Jackson (2-5). With George Mason trailing 4-2, junior Stephen Johnson led off the inning with an infield single, but was cut down in a double play. Junior Robbie Robertson (2-4) followed with a sharp groundball to first base that couldn't be handled and resulted in a Monarch error, and senior Brad Santmyer came through with a pinch-hit double to drive in Robertson. Junior Adam Shorts followed with a single to shallow left field to score pinch-runner freshman Andrew Buffington, and freshman Kyle Barrett had a pinch-hit infield single to put runners at first and second. Howard then sent a drive to the wall in right-center field to make junior Jim Bolszio (1-2) the winning pitcher after he allowed one hit in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
George Mason took a 1-0 lead in the second as Robertson doubled and scored on a single by senior Scott Yeager, but Old Dominion tied the score in the third as junior Travis Silver (2-3) doubled and scored as freshman Matt Moye reached on a fielder's choice. The Patriots regained the lead in the fourth as junior Brian Anderson hit a two-out double and scored on a single by Robertson, but the Monarchs again tied the score in the sixth as freshman Mark Michael walked and later scored on a single by junior Jeff Eure. ODU took the lead in the seventh as Moye scored on a two-out error, and the Monarchs made it 4-2 in the eighth as Eure scored on Silver's squeeze bunt.
George Mason hosts Delaware at Spuhler Field Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.
LINESCORE
Old Dominion (11-16, 4-2) 001 001 110 -- 4 8 2George Mason (9-13, 1-2) 010 100 003 -- 5 11 4
Jackson and Oehler; Stiffler, Bolszio (8) and Robertson.
WP * Bolszio (1-2). LP * Jackson (2-5).HR * None.