UNCW SHUTS OUT JMU 6-0 TO EVEN CAA SERIES

Saturday, April 17

Harrisonburg, Va.

6:30 PM

James Madison University

19-16, 10-4

UNCW

22-14, 7-4

UNC Wilmington

James Madison

4/18/2010 2:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va., April 17, 2010 - Two UNC Wilmington pitchers combined on a two-hitter and a five-run third inning was all the Seahawks needed in a 6-0 shutout of James Madison in the middle game of a Colonial Athletic Association baseball series on Saturday night at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.

UNCW got back into the win column after having its six-game winning streak snapped Friday night. The Seahawks improved to 22-14 overall and 7-4 in the CAA. JMU fell to 19-16 overall and 10-4 in the league with a six-game CAA winning streak snapped.

"We had base runners, we just didn't capitalize," commented JMU head coach Spanky McFarland. "Their pitcher allowed two hits and walked ten guys, plus we had four stolen bases. Looking at the scoreboard it looked like he pitched a great game, but it was as much that we just didn't capitalize. We had a lot of strikeouts in big situations. We've got to do a better job with two strikes."

Starter Cameron Roth earned the victory for UNCW to improve to 6-1 for the season. He matched the school record by issuing 10 walks but allowed just two hits and struck out eight. Seth Frankoff pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings of relief with four strikeouts.

While Roth struggled at times to find the strike zone, it proved effective against JMU's batters. McFarland commented, "I don't think he did anything different, he was just conveniently wild. I think sometimes as hitters, when a guy's going out of the zone a lot, you get confused about what to swing at and what not to swing at. You get used to balls then he sticks one in there. He battled. He made some good pitches when he had to."

Junior left-hander Alex Valadja (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic) took the loss for JMU after allowing five runs on just four hits in 4 1/3 innings. Three relievers combined to limit UNCW to three hits and one run in the remaining 4 2/3 innings.

Left fielder Matt Holt had the big hit for the Seahawks with one of his two hits a grand slam as part of a five-run third inning. Right fielder Alex Hill was 2-for-3 with two runs and two hit by pitches.

Redshirt senior right fielder Matt Townsend (Lorton, Va./Hayfield) singled and walked twice for JMU. Senior second baseman Mike Fabiaschi (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) had the other single while freshman center fielder Johnny Bladel (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) walked three times.

UNCW started its big third inning with a leadoff walk and a one-out hit batter. Center fielder Grayson Evans then lofted a single to left center to score the game's first run and give UNCW the lead. Catcher Cody Stanley hit a grounder to second base for a potential double play, but the ball buckled just enough on Fabiaschi to make the return throw to first late by just a step. That proved critical as designated hitter Robbie Monday walked and Holt hit a grand slam to right center for a 5-0 UNCW lead.

Those were the only five runs of the game until the top of the ninth when Hill doubled, moved to third on a fly out, and scored on a wild pitch for a 6-0 lead that proved to be the final.

JMU stranded 12 runners on the bases, thanks in large part to 12 strikeouts. McFarland added, "We put it in the hands of the umpire too much. We didn't expand. It should have been obvious from the first inning that he was expanding the zone a little bit. We left it in his hands instead of taking it into our hands. We didn't adjust to his zone."

JMU and UNCW will square off i