Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

FAIRFAX, Va. - The University of Delaware baseball team held a slim one-run advantage entering the bottom of the ninth, but the Blue Hen bullpen could not hold onto the lead as George Mason plated a pair to walk away with an 8-7 victory in the opening game of their Colonial Athletic Association series at Spuhler Field on Friday afternoon.

Steve Ulaky (at right) went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI to lead Delaware (20-16, 3-7 CAA). Josh Dean also roped three hits, while Ryan Cuneo and Hank Yates each added two apiece.

Despite a 14-hit attack by Delaware, freshman second baseman D.J. Long saw his 30-game hitting streak come to an end. His roll goes down as the second-longest in program history and the longest single-season roll ever by a Blue Hen.

The game was a back-and-forth affair for much of the afternoon, but George Mason (25-12, 8-5) landed the final blow in the bottom of the ninth. After Delaware broke a deadlock on an RBI groundout by Ulaky in the top of the seventh, the two teams traded scoreless innings before the Patriots came up to the plate with one last shot at victory.

In the bottom of the ninth, Ryan Soares led off with a double to left before Mark Hill quickly knotted the game with a two-base hit down the right field line. Later, after closer Nick Young intentionally walked Shane Davis and hit Dan Palumbo with a pitch to load the bases, Dan Schafferman came through with a walk-off single that vaulted the Patriots to the one-run victory.

Shafferman and Palumbo each knocked in a pair of runs for Mason, while Brig Tison notched two RBI and scored once to lead the Patriots.

The ending of the game mirrored the beginning as the two teams were evenly matched throughout the contest. Delaware kicked off the scoring in the first after Carlos Alonso singled to left, advanced to third on a base hit by Cuneo, and scored when Dean ripped a single down the leftfield line.

As they would all day, the Patriots quickly responded. In the bottom of the second, Palumbo lined a one-out double to left center before scoring on a hit by Schafferman. Delaware fired back in the top of the third as Cuneo crushed his fifth home run in the last seven days before Dean walked and scored on a hit by Yates to give the squad a 3-1 advantage.

Following another run by Mason on an RBI double by Shane Davis, the Hens seemingly broke the game open with a three-run rally in the fifth. During the surge, Dean roped a one-out single and scored on an RBI groundout by Yates. Later, Ulaky launched a two-run bomb to right that gave the squad a 6-2 lead.

Unfortunately, the Patriots fought right back. The squad loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth before Palumbo smacked a two-run single to left. Then, after Delaware went down quietly in the top of the sixth, Mason fired two more runs on the board in the bottom of the inning to knot the game at six.

Although the Hens broke the tie on Ulaky’s third RBI of the game in the seventh, the bullpen simply could not maintain the lead against the hard-hitting Mason offense.

Young (1-5) took the loss for Delaware after surrendering two runs on three hits in the ninth. A.J. Johnson (2-0) picked up the victory after tossing a scoreless frame in the top of the ninth.

The two teams will return to action tomorrow at 2 p.m.