North Carolina State University Athletics
George Mason Downs NC State Baseball, 6-3
3/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The win improved George Mason on the season to 3-8, while NC State dropped to 8-5. Steller allowed just two runs, one of them unearned, on three hits in five innings to pick up his first win and even his record at 1-1. Steller walked one and struck out four. Wolfpack starter Ryan Combs did not fare so well, allowing six runs, five of them earned, on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings. Combs walked four and struck out six. George Mason's Steve McGinn worked the ninth inning for his first save of the season.
George Mason got to Combs for two runs in the top of the second inning, stringing together consecutive two-out hits by Teddy Puitz, Scott Yeager, Evan Howard and Eddie Jordan to take a 2-0 lead. The Patriots added an unearned run in the top of the third when Greg Filson and Derek Morrison led off with walks and Forthofer singled after a dropped foul ball extended his time at the plate.
George Mason added three runs in the top of the fourth. Howard led off with his second single in as many at-bats, and Jordan followed with a walk. One out later, Filson, Morrison and Fortholer hit consecutive RBI singles to give the Patriots a 6-0 lead and drive Combs from the game.
The Wolfpack got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Andy Baxter led off with a double and Chris Goodman reached on an error, sending Baxter to third. Steller then uncorked a pair of wild pitches, the first of which sent Goodman to second base, and the second of which scored Baxter and advanced Goodman to third.
Josh Schmitt walked to put runners on the corners, and Jeremy Dutton followed with a sharp grounder to second that Filson booted, sending Schmitt to third and scoring Goodman with an unearned run that cut the lead to 6-2.
Dan Mooney led off the bottom of the seventh with his third home run of the season to cut the lead to 6-3.
The Wolfpack had runners at first and second with one out in the bottom of the eighth, but reliever Shawn Stiffler got out of the jam by rolling a double-play ball.
Mooney led off the bottom of the ninth with a double to left-center and went to third on Jamey Shearin's two-out single to right, but Jason Smith's line drive was hit right to Filson at second base to end the game.
Note: Brian Wright led off the bottom of the eighth with a single to right field to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.
