Jacob Jaye had three hits, including a two-run home run, and Zak Kent won his second straight midweek start as the VMI Keydets defeated the James Madison Dukes, 6-1, in non-conference baseball action Tuesday night in Harrisonburg, Va.
Tuesday’s game was scoreless early, but the Keydets took the lead for good with three runs in the third, an uprising that was highlighted by a Jake Huggins two-run double. Jaye then doubled home a run in the fifth and hit a two-run shot to right field in the seventh to cap the scoring.
Kent (2-2) got the victory with 4 1/3 innings of four-hit baseball, in which he allowed just one unearned run. The VMI bullpen – Derek Tremblay, Kyle Staats and Ryan Bennett – closed out the game by allowing just one hit over the final 4 2/3 innings.
JMU starter Michael Bechtold gave up four runs in 4 1/3 innings and took the loss to fall to 1-3.
JMU (16-7) put a runner at second with nobody out in both the first and third innings, but starter Kent pitched out of trouble and the Keydets (11-13) took the lead in the fourth. Jaye led off with a walk and Peyton Maddox followed with a RBI double. Two batters later, Huggins doubled home two runs to give the Keydets a 3-0 advantage.
Jaye drove in VMI’s fourth run with a double in the fifth, and although JMU got a run back in the bottom of the inning, the Keydet shortstop put the game on ice in the seventh. A two-run shot to straightaway right field, Jaye’s second homer of the year, made it a 6-1 contest.
Offensively, Jaye had the lone multi-hit game for the Keydets while Josh Wyatt went 2 for 4 to lead the Dukes.
First baseman Collin Fleischer returned to the VMI lineup for the first time since March 19 after missing the previous five games due to injury.
The game was VMI’s first win over former head coach Marlin Ikenberry after JMU won both contests between the clubs last year.
VMI baseball will return to action Wednesday, when the Keydets travel to Farmville to take on Longwood. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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