Baseball Drops Series Finale with Manhattan in Extra Innings, 12-8

Fassnacht records five-hit day to spearhead 14-hit attack

ARLINGTON, Va. -  GW baseball saw a four-run lead slip away late before ultimately falling in 11 innings, 12-8, in Sunday's series finale against Manhattan at Tucker Field at Barcroft Park.

Playing through a steady cold mist and flurry mixture, the Colonials and Jaspers traded runs early on with GW moving ahead 1-0 on an RBI double from junior Nate Fassnacht in the last of the first. An inning later, first-year Cade Fergus made it 2-1 GW with a two-out RBI single.

Manhattan evened the game, 2-2, in the third, and the game remained tied until a three-run fifth for the Colonials. Fassnacht started the frame with a double and promptly scored on an RBI single from sophomore Tyler Hix. A throwing error with the bags packed later in the inning plated two runs.

Fassnacht and Hix combined for yet another run in the sixth with a triple and an RBI groundout to make it 6-2.

Manhattan, though, rallied for four runs in the eighth inning to even things up and send the game to extra innings for the second time this weekend. GW had a great chance to walk-off with the win in the 10th after a two-out triple from Fergus, but a phenomenal defensive play from the Jaspers infield on a sharp grounder from sophomore Trevor Kuncl moved the game to the 11th.

That's when the Jaspers took over, scoring six times against the Colonials bullpen. GW mounted a rally in the home half with junior Alex O'Rourke and redshirt freshman Derek Ripp driving in runs, but the deficit was too much to overcome.

Despite the loss, GW pounded out 14 hits offensively led by Fassnacht's 5-for-6 day. The Ephrata, Pa., native finished a homer shy of the cycle with two doubles, a triple, three runs scored and an RBI. Fergus went 4-for-6, also coming up a home run shy of the cycle with a double, triple, run scored and RBI.

The Colonials travel to Dover, Del. for a mid-week contest on Wednesday at 2 p.m. against Delaware State before returning home next weekend to open up a three-game series with UMass-Lowell on Friday.

 Recap, photo courtesy of George Washington