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BASE
5 p.m.
James Madison
at Florida State
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Tuesday, April 12
Harrisonburg, Va.
6 p.m.
James Madison University
14-19
11
vs
10
VMI
16-21
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9
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0
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10
13
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James Madison
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11
17
2
Tondi's Walk-Off Blast Caps Comeback Win Over VMI
4/13/2016 12:15:00 AM | Baseball
HARRISONBURG, Va. - Junior catcher Zach Tondi launched a two-run, walk-off home run to cap off a three-run ninth inning and give James Madison an 11-10 win over VMI in non-conference action on Tuesday night at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.
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The Dukes, who trailed 10-3 in the middle of the fifth inning, scored eight runs across their final five frames and improved to 14-19 with the win. VMI dropped to 16-21 with the loss.
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VMI led 10-8 heading into the bottom of the ninth, which junior first baseman Brett Johnson opened with a single to left. Sophomore second baseman Kyle McPherson then hit a grounder that skipped through the VMI second baseman's legs, putting runners on second and third with no outs.
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After a wild pitch allowed pinch runner Chad Carroll to come home and cut the lead to 10-9, Tondi turned on the very next offering, crushing a long homer over the right-center wall and snapping the Dukes' four-game losing streak.
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Johnson had a career night at the plate for the Dukes, going 5-for-5 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored. The Charlottesville, Va. native, who had only ever tallied three hits in a single game prior to Tuesday, raised his season average from .257 to .291 and became the first Duke to tally five hits since Casey Goss accomplished the feat against VMI on March 12, 2013.
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Sophomore center fielder Mike Sciorra went 3-for-4 for JMU, matching his career high for hits, while McPherson and junior left fielder Ky Parrott each notched a pair of hits themselves. Parrott, who entered the day tied for 15th nationally in walks, also added a trio of free passes on the evening.
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After VMI jumped out to a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third, the Dukes tied things up with three runs of their own in the frame, including an RBI double from Johnson and a deep sacrifice fly from Tondi.
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The Keydets broke things open in the fifth with seven runs on just four hits, staking VMI a 10-3 lead and setting the stage for the Dukes' comeback. JMU scored a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning before striking for three in the seventh on another Johnson double and McPherson's two-RBI triple, which made it 10-8 and put JMU within striking distance for the ninth.
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The Dukes got stellar relief pitching from freshman Christian Leckert, senior Mark Gunst and junior Michael Evans, who combined to hold the Keydets scoreless across the final five innings. Evans picked up the win to improve to 3-1 on the year.
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Taylor Edens, the last of six VMI pitchers, took the loss to fall to 0-4. Center fielder Will Malbon and left fielder Matt Pita led the Keydets with three hits.
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QUOTING COACH IKENBERRY
"Obviously, I thought Brett Johnson had an incredible day at the plate for us and I was really proud of the way he swung the bad. Our offense battled all night to come back from being down 10-3. We didn't quite get the big hit we needed to until the ninth, so I was just excited that Zach put such a good swing on the ball. I was proud of the way Daniel Pinson and Tucker McCoy threw the ball tonight. It was great to watch these guys battle back to suck a big team win."
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TWEET OF THE GAME
SETTING THE TABLE
Junior left fielder Ky Parrott has served as the Dukes' leadoff hitter in each of the last nine games, reaching base to open JMU's first inning in seven of those, including Tuesday's contest.
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Six of those seven have been walks, as the Herndon, Va., native has drawn a total of 14 free passes across his nine games in the leadoff spot.
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THE RARE WALK-OFF
The ninth-inning heroics from Zach Tondi marked the Dukes' first walk-off home run in more than a year. Then-sophomore Brett Johnson last accomplished the feat with a homer against Minnesota in the PK5 Classic on March 13, 2015.
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UP NEXT
The Dukes will remain at home this weekend when they continue their CAA slate with a three-game series against in-state rival William & Mary. The Tribe are currently 15-16, with a 4-4 mark in league play, half a game ahead of JMU in a tie for fourth place in the CAA.
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First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, 4 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. All three contests will have live video coverage on MadiZone HD SportsNet.
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The Dukes, who trailed 10-3 in the middle of the fifth inning, scored eight runs across their final five frames and improved to 14-19 with the win. VMI dropped to 16-21 with the loss.
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VMI led 10-8 heading into the bottom of the ninth, which junior first baseman Brett Johnson opened with a single to left. Sophomore second baseman Kyle McPherson then hit a grounder that skipped through the VMI second baseman's legs, putting runners on second and third with no outs.
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After a wild pitch allowed pinch runner Chad Carroll to come home and cut the lead to 10-9, Tondi turned on the very next offering, crushing a long homer over the right-center wall and snapping the Dukes' four-game losing streak.
Â
Johnson had a career night at the plate for the Dukes, going 5-for-5 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored. The Charlottesville, Va. native, who had only ever tallied three hits in a single game prior to Tuesday, raised his season average from .257 to .291 and became the first Duke to tally five hits since Casey Goss accomplished the feat against VMI on March 12, 2013.
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Sophomore center fielder Mike Sciorra went 3-for-4 for JMU, matching his career high for hits, while McPherson and junior left fielder Ky Parrott each notched a pair of hits themselves. Parrott, who entered the day tied for 15th nationally in walks, also added a trio of free passes on the evening.
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After VMI jumped out to a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third, the Dukes tied things up with three runs of their own in the frame, including an RBI double from Johnson and a deep sacrifice fly from Tondi.
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The Keydets broke things open in the fifth with seven runs on just four hits, staking VMI a 10-3 lead and setting the stage for the Dukes' comeback. JMU scored a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning before striking for three in the seventh on another Johnson double and McPherson's two-RBI triple, which made it 10-8 and put JMU within striking distance for the ninth.
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The Dukes got stellar relief pitching from freshman Christian Leckert, senior Mark Gunst and junior Michael Evans, who combined to hold the Keydets scoreless across the final five innings. Evans picked up the win to improve to 3-1 on the year.
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Taylor Edens, the last of six VMI pitchers, took the loss to fall to 0-4. Center fielder Will Malbon and left fielder Matt Pita led the Keydets with three hits.
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QUOTING COACH IKENBERRY
"Obviously, I thought Brett Johnson had an incredible day at the plate for us and I was really proud of the way he swung the bad. Our offense battled all night to come back from being down 10-3. We didn't quite get the big hit we needed to until the ninth, so I was just excited that Zach put such a good swing on the ball. I was proud of the way Daniel Pinson and Tucker McCoy threw the ball tonight. It was great to watch these guys battle back to suck a big team win."
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TWEET OF THE GAME
If you hit a walk-off bomb...you just may get your post-game interview interrupted. Possibly. pic.twitter.com/N6VTKqkzMB
— JMU Baseball (@JMUBaseball) April 13, 2016
SETTING THE TABLE
Junior left fielder Ky Parrott has served as the Dukes' leadoff hitter in each of the last nine games, reaching base to open JMU's first inning in seven of those, including Tuesday's contest.
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Six of those seven have been walks, as the Herndon, Va., native has drawn a total of 14 free passes across his nine games in the leadoff spot.
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THE RARE WALK-OFF
The ninth-inning heroics from Zach Tondi marked the Dukes' first walk-off home run in more than a year. Then-sophomore Brett Johnson last accomplished the feat with a homer against Minnesota in the PK5 Classic on March 13, 2015.
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UP NEXT
The Dukes will remain at home this weekend when they continue their CAA slate with a three-game series against in-state rival William & Mary. The Tribe are currently 15-16, with a 4-4 mark in league play, half a game ahead of JMU in a tie for fourth place in the CAA.
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First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, 4 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. All three contests will have live video coverage on MadiZone HD SportsNet.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Evans, Michael (3-1)
L: Taylor Edens (0-4)
Batting:
2B: Will Malbon 1 ; Matt Pita 1
3B: Nathan Eaton 1 ; Matt Pita 1
RBI: Will Malbon 3 ; David Geary 1 ; Collin Fleischer 1 ; Matt Pita 2 ; Matt Dunlevy 2
SH: Nathan Eaton 1
SF: David Geary 1 ; Collin Fleischer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Will Malbon 2 ; Nathan Eaton 1 ; David Geary 1 ; Collin Fleischer 1 ; Matt Pita 1 ; Tyler Tharp 1 ; Peyton Maddox 1 ; Matt Dunlevy 1 ; Jacob Jaye 1
SB: David Geary 1 ; Matt Pita 1
CS: Collin Fleischer 1 ; Matt Pita 1 ; Tyler Tharp 1
HBP: David Geary 1 ; Matt Pita 1 ; Tyler Tharp 1
Batting:
2B: Johnson, Brett 2
3B: McPherson, Kyle 1
HR: Tondi, Zach 1
RBI: Johnson, Brett 3 ; McPherson, Kyle 3 ; Tondi, Zach 3 ; Dofflemyer, Tanner 1
SF: Tondi, Zach 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Parrott, Ky 2 ; Weston, Kyle 1 ; McKay, Bradley 1 ; Johnson, Brett 2 ; Carroll, Chad 1 ; McPherson, Kyle 1 ; Tondi, Zach 1 ; Sciorra, Mike 1 ; San Martin, Bobby 1
SB: Sisk, Adam 1
CS: Parrott, Ky 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
5
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
6
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
IF/OF
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RHP
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RHP
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LHP
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RHP
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