Freshman second baseman Kyle McPherson went 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs on Saturday night, but a late, two-run home run gave Hofstra an 8-6 win over the James Madison baseball team in Colonial Athletic Association action at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.
The Dukes dug themselves out of 4-0 and 6-4 deficits, but left seven runners on base as they fell to 17-29 (5-15 CAA) on the season. Hofstra tallied nine hits on the evening, including a pair of home runs that powered the Pride to a 19-28 (6-17 CAA) mark in 2015.
Sophomore first baseman Brett Johnson matched McPherson’s 2-for-4 performance to help lead the Dukes’ offense, while junior shortstop Chad Carroll, sophomore left fielder Josh Wyatt and senior right fielder Kevin Husum all added base hits of their own.
Both teams got started early, trading four-run innings in their opening at-bats. Hofstra took advantage of a JMU error in the top of the first to score four unearned runs, capping the frame with a three-run home run to right field that put the Dukes in a 4-0 hole before their first time at the plate.
Husum opened the bottom of the first with a single and sophomore designated hitter Ky Parrott followed with a six-pitch walk. Carroll then lashed an 0-1 pitch through the right side with the hit-and-run on, bringing Husum around to score and putting runners on first and third with nobody out.
After an errant pickoff throw allowed Parrott to score and cut the lead to 4-2, McPherson drilled the first pitch he saw into left field for a double, plating Carroll and making it 4-3. Junior catcher Bobby San Martin would later cap the scoring with an RBI fielder’s choice that brought McPherson home and tied things at 4-4.
Hofstra went up 6-4 with a pair of runs in the top of the second, but Husum manufactured a run in the bottom half of the frame to halve the deficit. The senior was hit by the first pitch of the inning, stole second base, took third on the errant throw and came home to score on Parrott’s RBI groundout to second base.
The Dukes tied the game five innings later on another run that did not involve a hit. Parrott reached second base after a pair of errors, moved to third on a hit-by-pitch and came home to score on a fielder’s choice from McPherson that made it 6-6 after seven complete innings.
However, the Pride went ahead for good in their next at-bat, doing all their damage with two outs. Catcher Chris Hardart worked a five-pitch walk, setting designated hitter Mat Annunziata up to launch a 2-1 pitch into the bullpen in right field and stake Hofstra an 8-6 lead that they would not relinquish.
Freshman left-hander Colton Harlow was saddled with the loss for JMU, despite giving up just the one hit and striking out five across the final three innings. Hofstra starter Alec Eisenberg yielded six runs, but threw eight complete innings to improve to 5-4 on the season, while Brendan Mulligan picked up his third save of the year after working a perfect ninth inning.
Before the game, the Dukes honored their two departing seniors–Kevin Husum and Derek Shifflett–in a brief ceremony commemorating their final home series.
JMU and Hofstra will wrap up their three-game set in the rubber match on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. Prior to the contest, JMU will honor Head Coach Spanky McFarland as he coaches his final home game before his retirement following the 2015 campaign.
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