JMU TOPPLES TENNESSEE 10-3 IN BASEBALL

Wednesday, March 5

Knoxville, Tenn.

3:00 PM

James Madison University

5-3

Tennessee

4-4

James Madison

Tennessee

3/6/2008 1:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., March 5, 2008 ? James Madison University scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back in notching a 10-3 win at the University of Tennessee in a non-conference baseball game Wednesday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

JMU improved to 5-3 overall while UT dropped to 4-4. The win was just the second ever for the Dukes against a team from the Southeastern Conference. The other was a 7-4 triumph over Georgia in 2002.

“I think the biggest thing for us was picking up an SEC win in a hostile environment,” JMU head coach Spanky McFarland commented on the win. “We came in here and played pretty good baseball. We had a good group effort on the mound and got some timely hits with runners in scoring position. We are very pleased, especially with the mental toughness that the players showed today. That's an encouraging sign.”

The Dukes had the benefit of 11 walks and four Volunteer errors in the contest while also outhitting UT 11-7. JMU scored four runs in its first at bat only to give two back in the bottom of the inning. However, the Dukes went on to add six runs unanswered to pull away for the convincing victory.

Redshirt junior Brett Sellers (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBIs, and a walk. It was his second straight game with a home run in his first game this season batting third in the lineup.

Redshirt senior Joe Lake (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach) had two hits, two runs, two RBIs, and a walk. Redshirt sophomore Steven Caseres (New City, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) had a two-run home run in the first. Sophomore Matt Browning (Mystic, Conn./Fitch) was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and his first career triple. Junior Brett Garner (Burke, Va./Lake Braddock) reached base four times with a single and three walks.