Box Score FAIRFAX, Va. -- Blaise Fernandez hit a walk-off, two-run home run in the ninth inning to lead George Mason University of the Atlantic 10 Conference to a 2-0 non-conference baseball victory past Longwood University on Tuesday afternoon in Fairfax. Tyler Zombro, the sixth pitcher used by the Patriots (27-17), earned the mound win against the visiting Lancers (20-28), who received two hits each from senior captain
Matt Dickason/Chesapeake, sophomore
Colton Konvicka/Richmond and freshman
Brandon Harvell/Yorktown. Longwood will return to Big South Conference action this weekend with its final three-game series at home this season against North Division opponent High Point University at Bolding Stadium in Farmville that begins on Friday night, May 9 at 6 p.m.
Sophomore
Allen Ellis/Mechanicsville and the George Mason pitching staff squared off in an old fashioned pitching duel through six-plus innings. Ellis was perfect through four innings and retired 19 of the 23 batters he faced; yielding a leadoff single in the fifth inning and a two-out bunt single in the sixth inning, while walking two batters, before leaving with one out in the seventh inning.
Longwood stranded runners in scoring position in the first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth innings. In the first, Konvicka (2-5) and Dickason (2-4) each singled and advanced to third and second base, respectively. In the third, Konvicka doubled down the left field line with one out, but was left there. In the fifth, Harvell (2-4) singled up the middle and moved to second on a sacrifice from sophomore
C.J. Roth/Yorktown (1-2), but went no further. In the seventh, freshman
Mac McCafferty/Stevens, Pennsylvania (1-4) and Harvell each singled and advanced a base each on another sacrifice by Roth, before being left on base. In the ninth, Roth doubled down the left field line with one out, but stayed put.
George Mason won the game in its last at bat, getting a leadoff single from Brandon Gum (2-4) ahead of the two-run and game-winning home run to left field by Fernandez (1-4, 2 RBIs).
Ellis started for Longwood and pitched the first 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing the two hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Freshman
Ryan Jones/Fredericksburg tossed two-thirds of an inning for the Lancers, allowing no hits with no strikeouts and no walks. Senior
Scott Burkett/Williamsburg (2-2) pitched the final 1.0-plus inning for the loss, yielding two hits and two earned runs with one strikeout and no walks.
Zombro (5-2) pitched the final 1.0 shutout inning for George Mason to gain the win, allowing one hit with one strikeout and no walks. The Patriots used five other pitchers in the contest.
Longwood and George Mason were playing for the 15th time and the Patriots now lead the all-time series, 9-6.
