NORTHEASTERN SWEEPS JMU WITH 7-5 BASEBALL WIN SUNDAY

Sunday, April 8

Harrisonburg, Va.

1:00 PM

James Madison University

10-22, 4-10

Northeastern

12-9, 8-6

Northeastern

James Madison

4/8/2007 4:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va., April 8, 2007 ? Northeastern University plated one run in the eighth and one in the ninth to break away from a tie and record a 7-5 win over James Madison University to sweep the Colonial Athletic Association series on Sunday afternoon at Long Field/Mauck Stadium.

NU improved to 12-9 overall and 8-6 in the CAA. With the sweep, the Huskies improved to 4-3 all-time against the Dukes. JMU fell to 10-22 overall and 4-10 in the CAA. The Dukes were swept in a home series for the first time since May of 2004 against Old Dominion.

Freshman Sheldon McDonald (Spruce Grove, Alberta/Spruce Grove Composite) earned the win, holding the Dukes scoreless for 1 2/3 innings of relief to improve to 1-2. Freshman Ryan Quigley (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) recorded the last two outs for his third save.

Senior Bobby Lasko (Athens, Pa./Athens Area) suffered the loss, working the final 3 2/3 innings and allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits with five strikeouts. Freshman Kyle Hoffman (Reading, Pa./Twin Valley) started and allowed five runs, three earned, on seven hits with six strikeouts.

Senior Dan Milano (Cumberland, R.I./Cumberland) wrapped up a 10-hit weekend, going 4-for-5 with four RBIs. Sophomore Frank Pesanello (Plainville, Mass./Bishop Freehan) was 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI.

Redshirt freshman Steven Caseres (New City, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) had a pair of two-run home runs to lead the JMU offense, giving him three for the weekend and seven for the season. Freshman Mike Fabiaschi (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) had the other JMU RBI on a bunt single.

Northeastern scored first in the first inning. Freshman David Gustafson (Houston, Texas/Bellaire) reached on a one-out single and advanced to second on a groundout. Milano drove in the first run of the game on a single to left field.

The Huskies added to their lead in the third. After loading the bases with one out, Milano drove in two more runs with a single through the middle on a drawn-in infield.

A two-run home run by Caseres put the Dukes on the board in the fourth. The opposite field shot was his second of the weekend and sixth home run of the season.

The Huskies got one of the runs back in the fifth. A leadoff double by freshman Anthony DiCesare (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield) started the inning, and a two-out double down the leftfield line by Milano drove in the run. It was his fourth RBI of the day.

Caseres then matched Milano's four RBI performance with his second two-run home run of the game, this time to the power alley in right center.

Northeastern regained the lead in the sixth after back-to-back one-out doubles by Pesanello and Donaldson plated a run. It was the first run of the day not driven in by Milano.

JMU tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on a couple of defensive miscues by the Huskies. Pinch hitter Brett Garner reached second after a fly ball was dropped by the right fielder DiCesare. Garner reached third on a passed ball and came in to score on a bunt single that the Huskies were unable to field cleanly.

NU took a 6-5 lead in the top of the eighth with the aid of a JMU error. Sophomore James Donaldson (Nashua, N.H./Bishop Guertin) tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but Lasko's throw went wide of the bag and both runners advanced. A walk loaded the bases with no outs. Lasko recorded back-to-back strikeouts but sophomore Mike Tamsin (Branford, Conn./Branford) came through with the RBI single through the right side. Junior Kellen Kulbacki's (Palmyra, Pa./Hershey) throw to the cut-off man, Caseres, was able to catch the runner off the bag at second to end the inning.

The Huskies tacked on a run in the top of the ninth on an RBI single by Pesanello.

JMU will wrap up