All nine starters for the James Madison baseball team scored at least one run on Friday night as the Dukes earned a 10-7 win over Hofstra in Colonial Athletic Association action at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.
JMU used 12 hits from seven different players to snap a three-game losing streak and move to 17-28 (5-14 CAA) on the season. The Pride also tallied 12 hits on the evening, but left 10 runners on base as they fell to 18-28 (5-17 CAA) in 2015.
Junior shortstop Chad Carroll paced the Dukes’ offense, going 3-for-5 with a run, an RBI and three stolen bases. With his performance on the basepaths, Carroll now has 21 stolen bases this season, tying his previous season-high, and 60 for his career, the seventh-highest total in program history.
Sophomore left fielder Josh Wyatt and junior third baseman Kyle Weston were both 2-for-3 on the evening, while freshman center fielder Michael Sciorra went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to nine games.
The Dukes struck first in the bottom of the second when Weston led off the inning with a single and freshman second baseman Kyle McPherson followed with a four-pitch walk. After sophomore first baseman Brett Johnson moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt, the Pride intentionally walked junior catcher Bobby San Martin to load the bases.
With runners on every base, four of the next five hitters tallied base hits, highlighted by Sciorra’s two-RBI single and an RBI double from senior right fielder Kevin Husum, staking JMU a 6-0 lead.
Hofstra responded almost immediately, however, plating five runs in its next at-bat. The Pride racked up six straight hits to open the top of the third, cutting JMU’s lead to 6-5.
JMU put the game away with four runs on six hits in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore left fielder Ky Parrott doubled to open the frame before Carroll and Weston followed with singles to bring him around to score.
After McPherson moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt, Johnson slapped a pitch down the right-field line that got past the diving right fielder for a triple, clearing the bases and putting the Dukes up 10-5.
The Pride would plate a pair of runs in the top of the eighth, but San Martin threw out a stealing runner at third base and freshman left-hander Eric Yankey picked up a big strikeout to erase the threat.
Junior right-hander Mark Gunst grabbed the win for JMU to move to 3-3, throwing three scoreless innings of relief and striking out four while allowing just one hit. Yankey earned his second save of the season, fanning six across the final four innings and yielding just one earned run in the eighth.
Hofstra starter Bowie Matteson was tagged with the loss, falling to 2-3 after failing to escape the second inning. The Pride spread out their offense, with five different starters tallying two hits on the evening.
JMU and Hofstra will continued their three-game series on Saturday evening, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The Dukes will honor their two departing seniors, Derek Shifflett and Kevin Husum, in a short ceremony prior to the contest. Live video coverage will be available on MadiZone HD SportsNet provided by the JMU Alumni Association.
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Chris Graham
