May 22,
2008
Hill, Krieger carry George
Mason past William & Mary
By Stuart Smith
CollegeBaseballInsider.com
A three-run home run by Mark Hill in the bottom of the ninth
tied the game and a Scott Krieger RBI double in the tenth plated
the winning run as #3 George Mason defeated #4 William & Mary
8-7 in ten innings on the first day of the 2008 Colonial
Athletic Association Championship.
George Mason will face #2 James Madison on Thursday at 7:00
p.m., while William & Mary will face top-seeded UNC Wilmington
at 3:30 p.m.
Both teams were scoreless through four innings, but William &
Mary got the bats going in the top of the fifth, scoring seven
runs on six hits and one miscue by the Patriots. Tyler Stampone
singled home James Williamson before Ben Guez hit a three-run
homer, scoring, Stampone and Paul Juliano. Three more singles
led to three more runs for the Tribe before the Patriots caught
Robbie Nickle trying to steal home.
George Mason responded in the
bottom-half of the inning on a Scott Krieger two-run home run.
The Patriots scored two more runs in the sixth inning on three
singles and one walk to make the score 7-4 in favor of the
Tribe.
The Patriots came to bat in the bottom of the ninth still down
three runs. Pat Kantakevich returned to the hill for the Tribe
after pitching the eighth. After the first two batters grounded
out, Justin Bour singled to right field to start a rally. Josh
Steinberg singled up the middle, sending Bour to second. Hill
sent Kantakevich’s 2-2 offering over the center field wall,
tying the score at seven and sending the game to extra innings.
Mason’s Ryan Brecko set the Tribe down in order in the tenth. In
the bottom half of the frame, Spencer Wiggins doubled to left
field with one out. Ryan Soares grounded out to third base and
Chris Henderson was intentionally walked, setting the plate for
Krieger. He answered with a RBI double to right field, plating
Wiggins for the winning run.
Shawn Griffith and Ryan Brecko pitched the final five frames for
the Patriots, giving up only one hit and striking out five.
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