DELAWARE PUSHES PAST JMU 5-4 IN BASEBALL OPENER

Friday, April 22

Newark, Del.

3:00 p.m.

James Madison University

26-13, 11-8

Delaware

21-16, 12-7

James Madison

Delaware

4/23/2011 1:24:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

NEWARK, Del., April 22, 2011 - Trailing most of the way, Delaware tied the score with a run in the seventh and used a three-run eighth to pull away for a 5-4 win over James Madison in the opener of a Colonial Athletic Association baseball series on Friday afternoon at Bob Hannah Stadium.

UD improved to 21-16 overall and 12-7 in the CAA after the two teams entered in a three-way tie for second in the conference. JMU fell to 26-13 overall and 11-8 in the league after its third straight CAA loss. The Dukes had won nine of 10 in the head-to-head series entering the day.

JMU scored in the first and third innings and held a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh with junior left-hander Sean Tierney (Midlothian, Va./Clover Hill) excelling in his first career CAA start.

Delaware got a two-out double in the seventh to chase Tierney and greeted sophomore right-hander D.J. Brown (Locust Grove, Va./Orange County) with an RBI single to tie the score.

The Blue Hens struck again in the eighth to take their first lead. With two outs and two on, second baseman D.J. Long delivered the big hit, a two-run double to left. Left fielder Pat Dameron added a single up the middle to score Long and make it 5-2.

JMU got a two-run home run from junior catcher Jake Lowery (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) in the ninth and senior shortstop David Herbek (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) doubled to put the tying run in scoring position, but a flyout to right ended the game.

Despite surrendering the two JMU runs in the ninth, Stephen Ritcher picked up the win as the pitcher of record during UD's three-run eighth. He improved to 3-0 after 1 2/3 innings of work. Starter Eric Young allowed two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Brown suffered his first loss of the season to fall to 5-1 after allowing three runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings with three strikeouts. Tierney allowed two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings. He earned his first CAA start thanks to a staff-best month of April with a 1.80 ERA and .164 opponent average this month including Friday's start.

Dameron, center fielder Nick Ferdinand and catcher Aaron Mascoe each had two hits in Delaware's 10-hit game. First baseman Steve Ulaky hit a solo homer in the third and walked twice.

JMU had 12 hits, led by Lowery's 3-for-4 day with a double, two runs, a walk and two RBIs on his 18^th homer of the season. Herbek and junior left fielder Ian Haynes (Danville, Va./Tunstall) each had two hits with a double. Redshirt senior center fielder Alex Foltz (Mathias, W.Va./East Hardy) and sophomore first baseman Matt Tenaglia (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) were each 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The Dukes scored in the first as Lowery walked and consecutive two-out singles by Foltz and Tenaglia plated the run. Tenaglia stole second to put two in scoring position before a flyout stranded both.

JMU scored again in the third but again missed an opportunity for a big inning. Consecutive doubles by sophomore right fielder Johnny Bladel (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) and Lowery put runners on second and third to start the inning. After a lineout, Foltz lifted a sacrifice fly to shallow right to score Bladel but Lowery was thrown out trying to reach third to end the inning.

Ulaky homered to lead off the third for Delaware's first run. The score held at 2-1 until the bottom of the seventh when the Blue Hens tied it and pulled ahead with t