George Washington University

May 13, 2008

Box Score

ARLINGTON, VA - With the game tied at 11 in the bottom of the seventh, and the go-ahead run standing on second base, George Washington senior OF Charlie Kruer (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) delivered with a two-out single into right field to give the Colonials their first lead since the opening frame, and GW held on for a 12-11 win in a non-conference game against Mount St. Mary's Tuesday afternoon at Barcroft Park in Arlington, VA. It was GW's final home game of the 2008 season.

GW junior closer Jimmy Duggan (Jefferson, MD/St. John's Prospect Hall) worked the top of the ninth inning for his sixth save of the season. Duggan had one out with runners on first on second when the Mount's Matt Staso lifted a ball into left-center that looked destined to find its place in the gap, allowing the tying run to score, but GW freshman CF Brendon Kelliher (Sandwich, MA/Sandwich) made a diving-catch and then doubled off the runner at second to preserve the one-run win.

The Colonials (26-26) were tailing 11-4 before scoring six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and then two more in the seventh as they rallied for the win. Sophomore Bobby Lucas (Baltimore, MD/Calvert Hall College HS) earned the win to improve to 6-1 after pitching two no-hit innings before giving way to Duggan. The Mount's (14-30) Brett Moore was tagged with the loss (2-7).

Offensively, GW had five different players record two hits, including Gavin Swanson (Reisterstown, MD/Calvert Hall College HS), Tom Zebroski (Port Washington, NY/Paul Schreiber) and Kelliher, all of who finished with a home run. Swanson and Kelliher both added a combined five RBI.

GW took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, when Tom Zebroski tripled to right field and then scored on a Sean Rockey (Sammamish, WA/Eastlake/Columbia Basin CC) RBI-groundout. After the Mount scored a run in both the second and third innings, the Colonials tied the game, 2-2, with another run in the bottom of the third, on Tom Zebroski's solo home run, his sixth of the season.

Mount St. Mary's then took control of the game with five runs in the top of the fourth and four more in the fifth. The latter included Josh Vittek's second home run of the game, which made it 11-4 in favor of the Mount, after Brendon Kelliher's two-run homer in the fourth.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, GW began their comeback, as they sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs on five hits. Kelliher led-off with a walk and then scored on Gavin Swanson's home run two batters later. A walk and a single put runners on first and third with two outs for Charlie Kruer, who beat-out a soft roller to third base for an RBI-single, making it 11-7. Another walk loaded the bases for Tim Reeves (Cumming, GA/North Forsyth), who came through with a clutch single to right that drove in two runs. Kelliher, who scored the first run of the inning, then followed with his second at-bat of the frame, an RBI-single up the middle that pulled the Colonials to within one run, 11-10.

GW completed the rally with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Andrew Haberern (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus) started off the inning with a single into left, and then came around to score the tying run on Sean Rockey's double down the leftfield line. Kruer followed with his game-winning hit.

Senior OF Andrew Abokhair (Ashburn, VA/Broad Run) drew three walks and scored a run, but finished 0-for-2, ending his 15-game hit-streak, the longest at GW since 2005. Sean Rockey was 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI and Zebroski finished 2-for-4 with three runs, a triple and a home run.

George Washington finishes their 2008 regular season with a three-game Atlantic 10 Conference series at Xavier (22-28, 16-8 A-10), beginning, Thursday, May 15, at 3:00 p.m. GW is currently tied for seventh in the A-10, with Fordham and Dayton, two games back from St. Bonaventure and the sixth and final spot for the A-10 Championship. To advance to the postseason, the Colonials will need to sweep the Musketeers and then look for help: Dayton and Fordham must lose at least one game, and St. Bonaventure has to lose all three of their games at Richmond.

- GW -