Box score (PDF)

CONWAY, S.C. – The George Mason baseball team fell to Indiana, 9-3, on Sunday afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
 
Mason (0-3) fell behind in the first innings when Indiana (2-1) sent eight batters to the plate and scored two unearned runs against Patriots senior starter Nick Martins to take a 2-0 lead. 
 
The Hoosiers added three runs on back-to-back home runs in the top of the third to make it 5-0.
 
Mason got on the board in the bottom of the fourth against Hoosiers sophomore starter Ethan Phillips.  With one out, junior designated hitter Connor Dykstra was hit by a pitch and junior first baseman Reece Woody walked to put runners on first and second.
 
Graduate student catcher Socrates Bardatsos recorded his first NCAA RBI with a single and sophomore right fielder James Quinn-Irons followed with another RBI-single to cut the lead to 5-2. 
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the Patriots made it a two-run game against Indiana senior reliever Seti Manase. 
 
With two outs, Quinn-Irons doubled to center and junior shortstop Carsen Pracht followed with a RBI, infield single to pull the Patriots closer at 5-3.
 
Indiana added to its advantage in the top of the eighth when junior Carter Mathison hit the Hoosiers third home run of the game, a three-run shot to left to make the score 8-5.  The Hoosiers tacked on an unearned run in the top of the ninth for the 9-3 final.
 
Freshman pitcher Ty Uchman made his NCAA debut and notched his first career strikeout on the lone batter he faced in the ninth.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

•  Indiana took advantage of an error to score a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead.  Sophomore left fielder Devin Taylor drove in a run with a single and senior right fielder Taylor Colopy forced in another with a bases-loaded walk.
• Indiana hit back-to-back home runs with freshman first baseman A.J. Shepard hitting a two-run homer and Colopy hitting a solo home run to increase the advantage to 5-0.
• In the bottom of the fourth, Bardatsos singled to center to drive in his first run as a Patriot and Quinn-Irons collected his first RBI of the season with a single to left to cut the lead to 5-2.
• With two outs and Quinn-Irons on second after a double, Pracht scratched out an infield single to record his first RBI of the season to make it a 5-3 game.
• In the top of the eighth, Mathison hit a three-run home run to add to the Hoosiers lead, 8-3.
• Indiana added an unearned run in the top of the ninth for the final run of the game. 

NOTES:

• Bardatsos made his first start behind the plate for the Patriots, went 1-for-4 and collected his first collegiate RBI.
• Pracht went 1-for-3 and drove in his first run of the season.
• Quinn-Irons finished 2-for-4 with one RBI and scored one run.
• Senior Nick Martins (0-1) made his first start of the season and allowed five runs, three earned, on seven hits in 3.0 innings.
• Senior Kyle Menaker tossed 3.0 innings of one-hit ball in his season debut. 

NEXT
 
The Patriots play their home opener when they host Coppin State on Tuesday with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at Spuhler Field.