The George Mason baseball team (23-27-1) wrapped up its season on Saturday afternoon as the UMass Minutemen (16-27) scored 10 unearned runs to defeat the Patriots 10-4.
Both teams end the year with a 12-12 Atlantic 10 Conference record and will narrowly miss the conference tournament that begins on Wednesday in Arlington, Va.
Tyler Zombro made his 14th start of the season on Saturday and did not allow a hit in the first three innings. The Minutemen jumped on for two runs in the top of the fourth after a bad throw allowed two unearned runs to score.
Zombro tossed the first six and exited with four strikeouts and two walks in his second loss of the season (7-2).
Mason got one run back in the bottom of the inning. Brandon Gum doubled to lead off the frame and would make to third on a fielders choice groundout and home on a wild pitch. Gum had two of Mason’s six hits and finishes the season with a .338 batting average.
The big blow from UMass came in the top of the seventh inning. Evan Porcella had the bases loaded with zero outs and gave up a sacrifice fly with one out for a 3-1 deficit. After another walk he was removed for Tyler Tobin who would give up a grand slam off the bat of Adam Picard to trail 7-1.
Two runs scored in the bottom half of the seventh for Mason on RBI singles from Gum and Luke Willis. Willis ends the season with a team-high batting average of .355 in all 51 games. The final run of the game for the Patriots scored in the bottom of the eighth on Michael Smith’s floater that dropped into right field.
UMass answered with three runs in the top of the ninth and closed out the game with Evan Mackintosh, who picked up his third save. Brandon Walsh earned the victory with six and two-third innings pitched. The Minutemen poked nine hits in the game with one error while Mason recorded three.
The Patriots celebrated Senior Day before first pitch, honoring Riley Coverdale, Taylor Hunt, Jake Kalish, Andrew Sable, Ray Toto, John Williams and Luke Willis.
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Chris Graham
