ERRORS DOOM DUKES IN 11-3 BASEBALL SETBACK TO SEAHAWKS

Saturday, March 31

Wilmington, N.C.

4:00 PM

James Madison University

8-19, 3-7

UNCW

14-16, 5-6

James Madison

UNC Wilmington

3/31/2007 4:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

WILMINGTON, N.C., March 31, 2007 ? UNC Wilmington collected 11 hits and took advantage of five James Madison University errors in an 11-3 Colonial Athletic Association baseball win on Saturday afternoon at Brooks Field.

UNCW improved to 14-16 overall and 5-6 in the CAA after claiming its second straight win in the three-game CAA set. JMU fell to 8-19 overall and 3-7 in the CAA with its third loss in a row.

The Dukes committed a season-high four errors in Friday's 6-5 setback and followed that with five errors in Saturday's loss. The pitching didn't help the cause with seven walks issued to UNCW batters. The Seahawks capitalized with five unearned runs.

UNCW received a workmanlike effort from junior starter Jeff Hatcher (Raleigh, N.C./Garner), who allowed two runs in the first but settled down to surrender just one more run over six total innings. He scattered 10 hits over his six frames with one walk and three strikeouts.

Three Seahawk relievers combined to hold the Dukes to no runs on three hits over the final three innings.

Freshman Kyle Hoffman (Reading, Pa./Twin Valley) took the loss for JMU, allowing five runs, just two earned, on six hits in three innings.

Junior Nate Hall (Coalfield, Tenn./Webb School) led the Seahawk offense, going 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. Sophomore Steve Halford (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) also had three hits and a pair of RBIs. Redshirt freshman Matt Holt (Cary, N.C./Green Hope) had two hits, an RBI, and scored twice.

JMU managed to outhit UNCW 13-11, but hit into two double plays and stranded 11 runners on the bases. Five Dukes had two hits apiece, including junior Joe Lake (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach), junior Kellen Kulbacki (Palmyra, Pa./Hershey), sophomore Brett Garner (Burke, Va./Lake Braddock), sophomore Lee Bujakowski (Hopewell, Va./Hopewell), and redshirt senior Mitchell Moses (Richmond, Va./Mills Godwin). Redshirt freshman Steven Caseres (New City, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) added a two-run double.

The Dukes grabbed the early lead with Caseres picking up his two-run double in the first. However, that lead only lasted until the second when the first defensive miscue of the day came. Lake made a diving stab of a ball at second and tried to shuffle to second base, but his toss from the ground pulled senior Davis Stoneburner (Richmond, Va./Mills Godwin) off the base and the ensuing throw to first was wide for an error with the runner on second coming all the way around to score. An RBI single by Hall evened the score.

Back-to-back errors in the third gave the Seahawks the go-ahead run. Back-to-back singles started the fourth and an error on a failed pickoff throw by Garner led to the fourth run. A Halford single drove in the second run of the inning.

The Dukes pulled within two on a sacrifice fly in the fifth by junior Brett Sellers (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim). However, UNCW broke the game open in the bottom of the inning with a four-run outburst. The Seahawks got three consecutive RBI base hits from Hall, junior Daniel Hargrave (Hurdle Mills, N.C./Orange), and Holt. A passed ball by Garner brought in the fourth run. Five walks issued by JMU pitchers contributed to the big inning.

UNCW added two runs in the seventh, thanks in part to the third error of the game by the short stop, Stoneburner. A wild pitch scored the first run after the error and Halford's RBI single brought in the second to close the scoring.

JMU will look to salvage one game in the weekend set when the two teams meet in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.