MERION STATION, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's baseball team picked up a pair of critical wins on Saturday, sweeping George Mason in a doubleheader at Smithson Field.
 
Game 1: Saint Joseph's 9, George Mason 4
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Hawks grabbed the lead in the second as a pair of two-out walks by Ryan Picollo and Luke Zimmerman led to an RBI single by Max Hitman.  Conlan Wall followed with an infield single of his own that brought home Zimmerman and doubled the advantage to 2-0.
 
• Carsen Pracht hit a solo home run in the top of the third for the visitors, but a Patriot throwing error and a bases-loaded walk to Wall brought home two more to give the Hawks a 4-1 lead after three.
 
• George Mason (20-29 overall, 6-14 Atlantic 10) would score two in the sixth on a home run by Jordan Smith before tying the game in the eighth when Smith scored on a wild pitch.
 
• The Hawks answered with a five-spot in the bottom of the frame to take the lead for good.  Wall and Ryan Weingartner drew walks in front of Owen Petrich, who singled through the infield to score Wall with the go-ahead run.  A walk to Justin Igoe loaded the bases for Tim Dickinson, who ripped a two-run single to give the Hawks some breathing room before Picollo followed with a double to plate two more and extend the margin to five.
 
• Colin Yablonski came out of the bullpen for Saint Joseph's and tossed a perfect ninth, sending all three batters down looking on strikes to end the game.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Matt McShane was the winning pitcher for SJU, allowing three runs on three hits in three innings.  Luke Goodyear took the loss, allowing two runs and walking three in an inning and two-thirds.
 
• Domenic Picone got the start for the Hawks, allowing a run on two hits in five innings.  Konner Eaton also received a no decision for George Mason, allowing four runs on five hits and six walks in three innings.
 
• Wall's free pass to start the game was his 45^th of the season, setting a new single-season program record.  He would add two more walks and went 2-for-2 at the plate with a run scored and two driven in.
 
• Petrich and Dickinson notched two hits apiece, with Dickinson and Picollo driving in two runs each and Petrich and Igoe scoring twice.
 
Game 2: Saint Joseph's 10, George Mason 4
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (22-23 overall, 10-10 Atlantic 10) jumped out to another early lead, this time in the bottom of the first.  Wall and Ryan Cesarini started the game with singles; Wall went to third on Cesarini's hit and Cesarini advanced to second on the throw to set the table for Weingartner, whose groundout allowed Wall to score.
 
• Petrich followed with an RBI double to the wall in left before eventually scoring on a wild pitch to give the Hawks a 3-0 lead after one.
 
• James Quinn-Irons hit a two-run double in the fourth to cut the lead to one, but Wall drove in a run with a double of his own to make it 4-2 after four.
 
• In the fifth, Weingartner lofted a high fly ball down the left field line that cleared the pole for a solo home run and a 5-2 SJU margin.
 
• A sac fly by Smith and a single by Quinn-Irons in the sixth brought the visitors back within a run, but Weingartner hit a two-out, two-run rocket to left for his second round-tripper of the game and a 7-4 lead.
 
• The Hawks broke things open in the seventh.  After a walk to Igoe and a single by Dickinson, Picollo ripped his second two-run double of the afternoon to push the lead to 9-4.  Carter Jagiela followed with a single before Wall brought home Picollo on a fielder's choice to set the final score.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Will McCausland notched his third win of the season for the Hawks, allowing four runs on five hits in five and a third innings.  Luke Gabrysh locked down his first save with three and two-thirds innings of shutout relief, while Chad Gartland took the loss for George Mason after allowing seven runs on eight hits and four walks in six innings.
 
• Weingartner went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and four driven in as he turned in his second multi-home run game of the season.  Wall and Cesarini added two hits each as well, with Cesarini crossing the plate twice and both Wall and Picollo notching a pair of runs batted in.
 
UP NEXT
The series finale is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Sunday at Smithson Field.