Junior catcher Jake Lowery (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) drove in seven runs in the first three innings as James Madison staked an early 10-3 lead and cruised to a 12-5 baseball win over Radford on Tuesday afternoon at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.
JMU won its fourth game in a row to improve to 8-1 for the season, its best record through nine games since being 7-0-2 in 1988. Radford fell to 3-4.
The Dukes entered the game leading the nation averaging 16.5 runs per game. JMU jumped out of the gate with a 10 runs in the first three innings with seven of those driven in by Lowery. Lowery connected on his seventh home run in his first 30 at bats of the season in the first. He added a two-run single in the second and a bases-loaded triple in a six-run third.
Redshirt junior Sean Tierney (Midlothian, Va./Clover Hill) earned the victory as the starter in a predetermined short outing. He allowed three runs, one earned, in two innings. Four pitchers combined to limit Radford to two more runs on three hits over the final seven innings.
Sophomore right fielder Cole McInturff (Centreville, Va./Westfield) had two hits, a walk, and scored twice. Redshirt senior center fielder Alex Foltz (Mathias, W.Va./East Hardy) walked twice, was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for an RBI, and scored three times.
Left fielder Matt Hillsinger had two of Radford’s five hits in the game. Starter Derrick Brewer took the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, in 1 2/3 innings.
JMU jumped in front in the first inning on a two-run, line-drive homer to right by Lowery.
The lead was short-lived as Radford struck back in the second. Hillsinger singled and Mack reached on an error on a dropped fly ball in left. A double steal and a walk loaded the bases before catcher Daniel Wright drove in two with his first collegiate hit, a double inside the left-field line. Right fielder Cory Turner added a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-2 RU lead.
The Dukes responded in the bottom of the inning. Freshman designated hitter Tyler McFarland (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) and McInturff led off with a pair of walks. Foltz reached on a fielder’s choice on a high popup. His speed on the bases proved beneficial as he came all the way around on a two-run double by Lowery with Foltz sliding around the wide tag and then lunging for the plate. That gave Lowery each of the first four JMU RBIs and a 4-3 lead.
In the third, sophomore first baseman Matt Tenaglia (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) walked and sophomore third baseman Bradley Shaban (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) reached on an infield single up the middle. After the second out, McInturff laid down a bunt all the way to third base that stayed in fair territory, loading the bases. Foltz was hit on a three-ball, one-strike pitch to drive in the fifth run and redshirt senior second baseman Trevor Knight (Charlottesville, Va./St. Anne’s-Belfield) hit an infield single up the middle to make it 6-3. Lowery then smashed a triple to the gap in right center to clear the bases for a 9-3 lead. The 10th run crossed the plate as Lowery came in on a fielding error by the third baseman.
JMU added a run in the fourth as sophomore left fielder Johnny Bladel (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) walked, moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt, reached third on a deep flyout, and scored on a single through the right side by McFarland.
Radford got one run back in the sixth after a leadoff walk by shortstop Jeff Kemp, a groundout, a balk and an RBI groundout by Hillsinger. Another Highlander run came on another RBI groundout, this time by Blake Sipe.
JMU got one more in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Bladel.
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