BOX SCORE

SALEM, Va. – George Mason hit three home runs and built a 6-0 lead through three innings in a 9-5 non-conference win over Radford at Salem Memorial Ballpark on Tuesday.

The Patriots (5-4) got home runs from Ryan Soares, Josh Steinberg and Mark Hill.  Both Soares and Steinberg went deep in the first three innings, staking the Patriots to a big early lead on the Highlanders (3-7).

“We just played a flat baseball game,” head coach Joe Raccuia said.  “It started on the mound, and when you get behind like that, at-bats become crucial.”

For Radford, Raphael Turner (Washington, D.C./Woodrow Wilson) and Reggie Keen (Danville, Va./G.W.-Danville) went 2-for-4, with Turner and Rick Hoogstraten (Poquoson, Va./Poquoson) driving in a pair of runs each.

Hill led four Mason multi-hit efforts, going 4-for-5 with two RBIs.  Soares was 2-for-4 with four RBIs, and Steinberg added a 3-for-5 effort in the win.

“Make no mistake, every time we threw a ball over the plate, George Mason did some damage and got runs when they needed to,” Raccuia said.

Mason broke the game open early on the Highlanders, with Soares driving in three runs in the first two innings.  Soares doubled home Mason's first run of the day with no one out in the top of the first, and launched a two-run homer over the left field wall in the second to give the Patriots a 5-0 lead.

In the third, Steinberg hit his lead-off home run off the top of the wall in left center to give Mason a 6-0 lead.

The Highlanders cut into a five-run Mason lead in the sixth inning on Hoogstraten's two-out double to the left field gap, scoring Keen and Alex Guerra (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) to make it a 7-4 game.

Radford threatened in the eighth when Turner pushed across Keen with an RBI groundout, closing the score to 8-5, but Hill gave Mason more insurance in the top of the ninth with a lead-off homer.

George Mason used a pre-determined rotation of six pitchers, with Kevin Crum getting both the start and the win (2-0).

Radford left-handed starter Paul DeVito (Annapolis, Md./Archbishop Spalding) lasted just two innings, and took the loss (0-2).

“Our offense is not built to come back when you're down tons of runs,” Raccuia said.  “Obviously, our starting pitchers need to be better and establish a presence.”

The Highlanders return to Salem for a three-game weekend series against Rider, beginning Saturday at 7 p.m. at Kiwanis Field.