Dukes Ride Early Offense to 8-6 Win Over First-Place UNCW

Saturday, May 14

Harrisonburg, Va.

5:30 p.m.

James Madison University

19-28, 9-11

UNCW

35-12, 14-4

UNCW

James Madison

Dukes Ride Early Offense to 8-6 Win Over First-Place UNCW

5/14/2016 11:15:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - James Madison scored eight runs in the first four innings and got five shutout frames from its bullpen on Saturday night as the Dukes battled to a crucial, 8-6 win over UNCW in the second installment of a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.

The Dukes improved to 19-28 (9-11 CAA) with the victory, moving them back into a three-way tie for fifth place in the league with just four CAA contests remaining. UNCW fell to 35-12 (14-4 CAA) in the loss.

Junior left-hander Michael Evans, who came on in relief of JMU starter Brandon Withers after a pair of one-out walks in the fifth, was dominant across his 3 2/3 shutout innings. The Falls Church, Va., native yielded just three hits, including two singles, and struck out three without allowing a walk to improve to 4-1 on the year and drop his ERA to a team-best 2.95.

In the ninth, senior Ben Garner came on and retired the Seahawks in order, finishing things off with a strikeout to pick up his eighth save of the season and ninth of his career. His eight 2016 saves are tied for fourth-most in a single season for a JMU pitcher, just two behind Kevin Munson's record of 10, while he is now tied for tied for sixth on the career charts.

Sophomore second baseman Kyle McPherson led the way for the JMU offense, driving in three runs in a 3-for-5 evening that also saw him score once and steal a base. The effort marked McPherson's second three-hit performance of the season and his second multi-hit game this week.

Junior first baseman Brett Johnson and sophomore third baseman Bradley McKay each added a pair of hits, while Johnson, senior shortstop Chad Carroll and junior left fielder Ky Parrott scored a pair of runs each. The Dukes also stole five bases on the evening--one each for McPherson, Johnson, Parrott, Carroll and senior right fielder Tyler Carroll--matching their season-high and giving them 68 on the season.

JMU stormed ahead early, with McPherson driving home a pair of runs on a one-out single in the first. UNCW responded with two runs in the third and four in the fourth, but, in each frame, the Dukes immediately answered with an identical number in the bottom half.

In the fourth, JMU cut the UNCW lead to 6-5 when sophomore center fielder Mike Sciorra scored on a wild pitch. With two outs, Johnson bounced a grounder to shortstop that was bobbled, allowing the frame to continue.

McPherson immediately laced an RBI single to center before sophomore catcher Zach Tondi dropped a bloop single over the shortstop's head to bring a pair of runs home and give the Dukes the 8-6 advantage and close out the scoring as Evans and Garner led the way down the stretch.

Second baseman Brian Mims and Zach Canada each tallied two hits to lead the UNCW offense, while Mims picked up both of the Seahawks' extra-base hits, including the two-run homer that put UNCW on the board in the second. Justin Crump, the second of four UNCW pitchers on the evening, took the loss to fall to 2-2 on the year.

QUOTING COACH IKENBERRY
"I was really proud of the way Brandon Withers worked out of trouble in the first inning with the bases loaded and how we answered with the two runs in the bottom half of the inning to set the tone for our offense early. Brett Johnson, Kyle McPherson and Zach Tondi all had huge at-bats for us to put us ahead. Brandon did a good job to get us into the ballgame and then Michael Evans and Ben Garner were absolutely superb out of the bullpen."

PLAY OF THE GAME | COMPLETE HIGHLIGHTS

Sophomore catcher Zach Tondi dropped this two-RBI single over the shortstop's head to bring the eventual game-winning runs across in the fourth inning.

AROUND THE CAA
Elsewhere in the league, Towson dropped a 9-6 decision to Delaware and College of Charleston picked up an 8-5 win over Northeastern. Those results, combined with the Dukes' win, have moved JMU, Charleston and Towson back into a three-way tie for fifth place in the league at 9-11. Northeastern is 1.5 games ahead of the trio in fourth place, while UD is one game back in eighth. The top six teams will qualify for the CAA Tournament in Charleston, S.C. from May 25-28.

PHOTO OF THE GAME | COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY

Junior Michael Evans delivers a pitch en route to his fourth win of the season. Evans threw 3 2/3 shutout innings to keep UNCW, the nation's leading offense, at bay.

UP NEXT
The Dukes and Seahawks will play the rubber match on Sunday, May 15, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at Eagle Field. MadiZone HD SportsNet presented by the JMU Alumni Association will be providing live video coverage of JMU's home finale.

Prior to the game, JMU will honor its 10 seniors in a brief ceremony.