Dukes Drop Tough Midweek Contest at No. 19 Virginia

Wednesday, April 19

Charlottesville, Va.

6 p.m.

James Madison University

18-18

Virginia

31-9

James Madison

Virginia

4/19/2017 9:32:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score @JMUBaseball 2017 Schedule 2017 Statistics

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - James Madison couldn't dig out of an early hole on Wednesday night, as No. 19 Virginia used a five-run second inning to hand the Dukes a 7-2 loss in non-conference baseball action at Davenport Field.

The Dukes, who fell to 18-18 in the loss, matched Virginia with six hits, but the Cavaliers took advantage of seven walks and a trio of hit batsmen to improve to 31-9 on the year.

Junior catcher Zach Tondi led the JMU offense on the evening, going 2-4 with a double, while junior right fielder Adam Sisk blasted his fifth homer of the year, a solo shot on an 0-2 pitch with two outs in the eighth inning

Sophomore left-hander Daniel Lynch went the distance for Virginia, striking out seven in the longest outing of his career. Five pitchers saw action for the Dukes, highlighted by a pair of scoreless innings from sophomore righty Christian Bourne, who did not allow a baserunner across the final two frames.

Virginia did the lion's share of its damage in the second, when it sent 10 players to the plate and took advantage of two JMU errors and a pair of walks to plate five runs. The Cavaliers would add one in the fourth before the Dukes notched their first run in the fifth.

Junior shortstop Kyle McPherson singled to left with one away, advanced on a groundout and came around to score when senior first baseman Brett Johnson ripped a single into center field. Virginia tacked on an insurance run in the sixth before Sisk provided the only other JMU run of the evening on his solo shot in the eighth.

QUOTING COACH IKENBERRY
"The guys battled tonight against a great Virginia team. We gave up some early runs and put ourselves in a hole, but they kept fighting. I was proud of Christian Bourne and the bullpen, who kept us in the game the rest of the way."

HOMER STREAK
The eighth-inning solo home run from junior Adam Sisk marked the fifth time in as many games that JMU has hit a home run, one shy of its longest streak of the year. The Dukes hit a home run in six straight games earlier this season, dating from March 18 to March 26.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will stay on the road for the upcoming weekend, as they head to Williamsburg, Va. for a crucial Colonial Athletic Association series at William & Mary on April 21-23. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday, with all three contests scheduled to be broadcast live on Tribe Athletics TV.