SUMMARY
 
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks could not overcome an early four-run deficit in their 9-3 defeat against the George Mason Patriots in Fairfax, Virginia.

 
THE SCORE
 
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks - 3
George Mason Patriots - 9
 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 

George Mason generated momentum quickly out of the gate. The Patriots registered four runs on five hits in the first two innings, peppering the outfield grass with two doubles and a trio of singles.
 

Trailing 4-0, Maryland Eastern Shore found an answer in the top of the third inning through the crafty baserunning of Jason Brown. The senior outfielder started by drawing a walk in his first plate appearance of the day. Brown followed up the free pass by stealing second, advancing to third on a wild pitch, and then racing home to score on another wild pitch to get the Hawks on the board.

 
With UMES trailing 4-1, George Mason started to turn up the dial in the bottom of the third inning. The Patriots, headlined by a two-RBI single in the fourth frame, rattled off five unanswered runs from the bottom of the third inning until the top of the seventh inning to take a 9-1 lead. Subsequently, the Maryland Eastern Shore offense was kept quiet as George Mason did not yield a hit through the first six innings.

 
Despite early troubles, the Hawks found some success in the top of the 7th. Doyle McNew set the tone for the inning with a leadoff single. Quentin Smith followed up McNew's base hit with a single of his own to put runners on first and second. After starting the day 0-for-2, Danny Sadler Jr provided the biggest spark of the day for Maryland Eastern Shore. The junior outfielder drilled a two-RBI double to left field to drive in McNew and Smith. This dynamic play cut the Hawk deficit to six runs.

 
Unfortunately for Maryland Eastern Shore, George Mason's pitching staff proved impermeable after that, finishing off the Hawks for a 9-3 victory.

 
 
THE NUMBERS

 
The Hawks scored three runs on four hits while the Patriots scored nine runs on 11 hits.

 
After walking 13 batters in their last game against LeMoyne, UMES pitching limited the free passes, walking only one Patriot batter all game.

 
Each team was active on the basepaths as Derrick Mayes II, Riley Horner, and Jason Brown each registered a stolen base for Maryland Eastern Shore while George Mason baserunners swiped five bags.


 
UP NEXT:
 
The Hawks look to get back into the win column against Delaware State on Friday.