SANTOBIANCO HOMER LIFTS DUKES TO 5-3 BASEBALL WIN

Saturday, May 7

Harrisonburg, Va.

TBA

James Madison University

18-28, 6-10

Hofstra

19-28, 6-13

Hofstra

James Madison

5/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

SANTOBIANCO HOMER LIFTS DUKES TO 5-3 BASEBALL WIN

Dan Santobianco hit his 10th homer of the season, all within the last 22 games.

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va., May 7, 2005 – Sophomore designated hitter Dan Santobianco (Wilmington, Del./Brandywine) slammed a two-run homer in the last of the eighth inning to account for the difference in James Madison's 5-3 victory against visiting Hofstra in Colonial Athletic Association baseball Saturday afternoon at Long Field/Mauck Stadium.

The Dukes snapped a five-game losing streak and improved to 6-10 in the CAA and to 18-28 overall. The Pride suffered its fifth consecutive conference loss, dropping to 6-13 in the CAA and to 19-28 overall.

Santobianco cranked his team-leading 10^th homer of the season after the Dukes had snapped a 2-all tie earlier in the frame. Freshman Kellen Kulbacki (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) led off the inning with the second of his two hits for the game and was lifted for pinch runner and senior Sean Loso (Harrisonburg, Va./Turner Ashby). Loso advanced to second on an infield out by junior third baseman Nate Schill (Audubon, N.J./Aububon) and scored when junior first baseman Matt Bristow's (Richmond, Va./Mills Godwin) grounder to short was thrown away for the Prides' third error of the day. Santobianco's homer followed.

The Dukes also pulled off a key double play in the top of the inning when the Pride threatened to take its first lead. Hofstra junior shortstop Josh Stern (Millwood, N.Y./Horace Greeley) started the inning with a double and was sacrificed to third by freshman designated hitter Matt Kougasian (Rochelle Park, N.J./St, Joseph Regional). However, junior first baseman Mike Walsh (Norfolk, Mass./King Philip Regional) lofted a fly ball to right field,and JMU's Kulbacki turned it into a double play when he gunned down Stern at the plate.

Walsh tied the game in the sixth with an RBI double. The Pride's first run crossed when freshman right fielder David Cole (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) raced home in the fifth on a wild pitch.

The Dukes took a 2-0 lead in the first as Bristow drove in two unearned runs with this 13^th double of the season.

JMU senior Brian Leatherwood (Norfolk, Va./Granby) worked 7 1/3 innings in the no decision. He scattered seven hits, walked two and fanned six in his longest outing since going the distance against the Pride last April, a span of 13 appearances.

Sophomore left-hander Jacob Cook (Mechanicsville, Va./Lee-Davis) picked up the win to move his record to 3-6. Sophomore Travis Risser (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) gained the save, his fourth of the year, despite yielding a run on two ninth-inning doubles. The game ended on a 5-4-3 double play and a runner on third base.

Junior David Huth (Akron, Ohio/Western Reserve Academy) turned in a strong mound performance in a