Baseball Opens ODU Series with 13-8 Triumph

Friday, April 13

Norfolk, Va.

6:00 PM

James Madison University

10-23-1, 5-11

Old Dominion

12-22, 3-10

James Madison

Old Dominion

4/13/2012 7:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

NORFOLK, Va., April 13, 2012 - James Madison took a commanding early lead with a seven-run third inning and benefitted from 13 walks by Old Dominion pitchers in a 13-8 victory to open a Colonial Athletic Association baseball series on Friday night at the Bud Metheny Complex.

JMU improved to 10-23-1 overall and won its fourth straight CAA game to improve to 5-11 in the league. ODU fell to 12-22 overall and 3-10 in the conference.

The Dukes broke open an early 8-0 lead with a seven-run third inning, their third inning of as many runs in the last five games. The Monarchs closed to within 9-6 after five innings, but Madison added two in the eighth and two in the ninth to secure the 13-8 win.

The 14-hit attack was led by the fourth through sixth spots in the order and boosted by the return of sophomore first baseman Ty McFarland (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby). After missing 23 games with a broken hand, he reached base in all six plate appearances with three singles, three walks, two RBIs and a steal.

In addition to McFarland in the six spot, senior designated hitter Evan Scott (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) singled, doubled, tripled for the first time in his career, drove in a pair of runs and scored a career-high four runs. Sophomore third baseman and cleanup hitter Conner Brown (Richmond, Va./Godwin) also had three hits with a double and three runs scored.

In addition, junior second baseman Casey Goss (Springfield, Mo./Glendale) and junior right fielder Johnny Bladel (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) each extended hitting streaks to 16 games.

Sophomore Trent Cundiff (Roanoke, Va./Northside) worked out of a jam in relief in the fifth and worked an inning with no runs charged against him to improve to 4-1. Freshman Chris Huffman (Fort Defiance, Va./Fort Defiance) worked 1 2/3 innings for his second save in JMU's last three CAA games.

Starter Phil McCarthy took the loss to fall to 0-5 for the Monarchs. He allowed six runs on six walks and just three hits with 2 1/3 innings. He was the first of eight ODU pitchers in the game.

Right fielder Chris Baker had two hits with a double and three RBIs for Old Dominion. Left fielder Josh Eldridge was 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs and two RBIs. Shortstop Josh Wright was also 2-for-4.

JMU took the lead on an RBI groundout by freshman shortstop Chad Carroll (Oakton, Va./Oakton) in the second before breaking things open with the seven-run outburst in the third.

A bases-loaded single by McFarland started the outbreak. Junior catcher Bradley Shaban (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) walked with the bases loaded to force a pitching change. With two outs, junior outfielder Colby Roberts (Benton, Ark./Benton) singled in a pair of runs to make it 5-0. Goss added another two-run single to make it 7-0 and completed the uprising when he scored on a wild pitch.

A two-run double by Baker put the Monarchs on the board in the third.

JMU went ahead 9-2 with an RBI single by Bladel in the fifth before the