WILMINGTON, N.C. ? UNC Wilmington broke open a one-run game with seven runs in the sixth inning as the 24th-ranked Seahawks shutout George Mason, 10-0, in Colonial Athletic Association baseball action Saturday at Brooks Field.
The Seahawks, who recorded their second shutout of the season, raised their record to 34-11-1 overall and 19-3-1 in conference action. The Patriots had their 5-game winning streak halted and saw their record dip to 25-22 and 15-9.
Freshman reliever Cameron Roth (5-1) picked up the win for UNCW, holding the Patriots to one hit over 2 1/3 innings. Five pitchers combined to shutout the Patriots and limit them to five hits on the game. Junior starter Brad Holt tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen. Holt scattered three hits and walked two while fanning five, including the side in the second inning.
Junior Mike Modica (3-5) was credited with the loss, allowing four runs on five hits, four walks and two hits batters over 5 1/3 innings.
Keying the Seahawk offense was senior Nate Hall, who finished with three doubles and three runs batted in. Hall raised his batting average to .392 on the season. Sophomore Bobby Leeper had two hits and drove in a career-high three runs. Senior Jason Appel added two hits and pushed his hitting streak to 12 games.
UNCW opened the scoring with two out in the second. Freshman Alex Hill drew a two-out walk and moved into scoring position on sophomore Mike Rooney's bunt single to third. Leeper followed with a single through the right side that scored Hill and gave UNCW a 1-0 lead.
The Seahawks sent 11 batters to the plate in that 7-run sixth inning as UNCW built an 8-0 lead. Mason pitchers combined to walk four batters and hit a fifth batter as the Seahawks collected just three hits in the outburst. Leeper had a 2-run double and Hall later cleared the bases with a 3-run double of his own.
Senior Mark Carver extended UNCW's lead to 10-0 with a 2-run homer in the eighth, his 19th of the season.
George Mason's best opportunity to score came in the fourth inning when they put runners at first and third against Holt with one out, but Holt and Roth pitched out of the jam. Holt got sophomore Ryan Soares to hit into a fielder's choice with the runner at third being thrown out at the plate and Roth closed out the inning when Hill made a diving catch on a liner to left off the bat of sophomore Chris Henderson.
The series concludes on Sunday with a 2 p.m. start.
Notes: UNCW relievers Kyle Lewis and Larry Salefsky combined to strikeout five the final six batters of the game ... UNCW's last shutout was against Fordham (Mar. 1, W 16-0) ... Mark Carver has 68 runs batted in this season and needs five more to tie Matt Poulk's single season school record of 73 set in 2006 ... Cameron Roth and Larry Salefsky lowered their ERA's to 1.29 and 1.78, respectively ... Alex Hill drew two more walks and scored twice.
