Broadside Sports

Shawn Griffith was called up to Single-A Short Season with the Auburn Doubledays yesterday and pitched 2-2/3 scoreless innings against the Jamestown Jammers. Griffith came on in the eighth inning and gave up a leadoff double in the 10th, but escaped without any damage done.

Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports that the Kansas City Royals have reached a tentative agreement with General Manager and Mason alum Dayton Moore on an extension through 2014. Moore has made a number of questionable moves, signing right fielder Jose Guillen in 2007 and locking shortstop/right fielder Willie Bloomquist and relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth to multi-year contracts last year, but he was widely criticized after trading for shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, who holds a major league-worst -17.3 ultimate zone rating. Although Betancourt has kept himself from swinging at pitches out of the strike zone, he has not helped Moore prove his case in acquiring his “huge upgrade.”

In 2008, outfielder Scott Krieger became the first Mason player to have two three-home run games after creating his own launching pad in the CAA Tournament. No matter where Krieger is, whether it is in Fairfax or Helena, he continues feasting on opposing pitchers. On Sunday, Krieger belted three home runs against the Missoula Osprey as the Helena Brewers won 15-10. Krieger has been on a torrid streak, recording a hit in each of his first six games as a minor league ballplayer. His four home runs and 11 RBIs lead the team and he is also batting .321. Krieger is a crucial part to the team, batting third in the lineup. Most of the damage he has done thus far have occurred with runners on base. The Brewers are currently 4-3 to start off their season, but it has been in large part due to Krieger.

Four George Mason University baseball players were selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association to the All-East Region first team this week. Catcher Chris Henderson, first baseman Justin Bour, outfielder Scott Krieger, and pitcher Mike Modica earned first team honors after being selected in last week’s Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. While Mason had four players place on the first team, no other school had more than two representatives. Krieger, Mason’s all-time leader in several categories, will start out at rookie level with the Helena Brewers. Modica takes the mound for the Single-A Tri-City Valley Cats as they approach their season opener. Bour plans to begin with the Arizona League Cubs. Last week, Henderson stated that he is leaning towards turning pro even though it may require a position change. On a side note, pitcher Jordan Flasher signed with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday and will report to rookie ball with the Gulf Coast Red Sox.

Six George Mason University baseball players were selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft with five of them going in the second day of the three-day event. Outfielder Scott Krieger, Mason’s all-time leader in hits, runs, home runs, and total bases, went in the 19th round to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected catcher Chris Henderson, the other Co-Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, in the 21st round the Boston Red Sox chose pitcher Jordan Flasher in the 22nd round. Flasher opted to not sign after being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 39th round last year. The other player to be selected in last year’s draft was pitcher Mike Modica, who went in the 46th round to the Houston Astros in 2008. This time around, the Astros drafted the 11-game winner in the 24th round. While Henderson earned first team All-America honors and Krieger qualified for the second team, Modica represented Mason with second team All-America honors on the pitching side. The Chicago Cubs went with first baseman Justin Bour in the 25th round to add onto their collection of sluggers. On the third day, the Blue Jays selected pitcher Shawn Griffith in the 37th round. The 2009 season was a record-breaking season for Mason on a number of occasions, even Griffith set the single-season school record with 29 appearances. Currently, there is only one Mason alum to pitch in the major leagues. Pitcher Shawn Camp, who was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 16th round in 1997, is in his sixth season after playing for the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and now the Toronto Blue Jays. Mason baseball players are ready to mark their territory in the major leagues.

The George Mason University Patriots (42-14, 19-5) packed their bags alright, but their bags are not headed to Omaha, Neb. Instead, Mason will be coming home after a terrific season despite dropping to the Binghamton University Bearcats 11-6 in the elimination game of the NCAA Tournament regionals.

Every time Mason rallied to cut into their opponent’s lead, the Bearcats came clawing back for more runs. Mason stranded 16 runners on base after getting a man on in every inning. In the 5th inning, Mason had the bases loaded with just one out. Shortstop Brent Weiss lined out, and right fielder Ryan Uphouse struck out swinging with the team still down 4-2.

Center fielder Henry Dunn hit a three-run blast in the 6th inning to extend the lead to 7-2 in favor of the Bearcats. However, Mason put their rally caps back on in the 7th inning as they received a productive day from rookie designated hitter Dan Schafferman, who went 4-for-5 in the game. His double cut the lead to four runs, and Mason had bases loaded again for catcher Chris Henderson. The hitting sensation ended the threat after grounding out.

Mason seemed to finally have their chance after Schafferman tacked on his third home run of the season, plating in three runs in his four-RBI day. Pitcher Jordan Flasher came in to try to contain the Bearcats, but no matter how good the bullpen had been this season, things just crumbled as Flasher gave up three runs, which put the game out of reach. First baseman Justin Bour was Mason’s last chance, but his flyout closed the books on the 2009 season.

Pitcher Kevin Crum (8-4) gave up seven runs in six innings as he was charged with Mason’s final loss. Left fielder Scott Krieger went 1-for-5 with a run in his final collegiate game, and he closed out his career with three consecutive 20-home run seasons. The school’s all-time and single season leader for home runs had a grand total of 69 jacks. Henderson, one of next season’s key returning players, broke the school record for hits in a single season. His 97 hits surpassed former player Jeff Palumbo’s 96 hits.

The George Mason University Patriots (42-13, 19-5) have been dominant throughout the year, but they finally faced a tough competitor in the University of South Carolina Gamecocks in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 11-3 to the 22nd-ranked Gamecocks.

First baseman Justin Bour doubled in Mason’s first run in the 1st inning, and Mason led 1-0 until the 4th inning when the Gamecocks finally unloaded for four runs. Right fielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. led off the inning with a single, but two costly errors on one play from shortstop Brent Weiss created a bigger mess as designated hitter Parker Bangs belted a home run off pitcher Mike Modica (11-2). The damage in the 4th inning was enough for the Gamecocks to get by Mason, but there was more to come. The Gamecocks added two runs in the 5th inning and two more in the 6th inning. Mason got two runs back in the 7th inning after catcher Chris Henderson cashed in on a two-run double. The Gamecocks scored three more runs in the bottom half of the 7th inning as Mason suffered one of their worst defeats this season. Mason last gave up double-digit runs to an opponent when they competed in the tournament in Florida. Modica gave up 10 hits and six runs in five innings.

Mason will attempt to salvage their season when they face the loser of the game between the top-seeded East Carolina University Pirates and Binghamton University Bearcats.