Dukes Lose Midweek Battle to GMU, 7-6

Wednesday, April 5

Harrisonburg, Va.

5 p.m.

James Madison University

16-11

George Mason

11-18

George Mason

James Madison

4/5/2017 10:29:00 PM | Baseball

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HARRISONBURG, Va. – Four unearned runs were the difference as James Madison baseball lost a 7-6 midweek battle to George Mason at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park on Wednesday evening.

The Dukes' bats returned to life, scoring more runs (6) than in the previous four games combined (4), but two costly errors caused JMU to drop its sixth straight game. George Mason improved to 11-18 on the season, while the Dukes fell to 16-11.

Freshman third baseman Fox Semones led JMU at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Junior center fielder Mike Sciorra joined him with multiple hits with a 2-for-3 day and an RBI.

The Patriots took a 6-4 lead with two runs in the top of the fifth. Greg Popatak led off the inning with a solo home run, then Ryan Tassone scored from first on Alejandro Aponte's single that got past Sciorra and rolled to the fence.

GMU initially jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third inning after Brady Acker homered and Trevor Kelly reached base on a fielding error that led to three unearned runs.

JMU stormed back with four runs in the fourth inning to tie the game at 4-4. Semones started the scoring with an RBI single through the left side that plated junior right fielder Adam Sisk. Junior catcher Ryan Coale reached on an RBI fielder's choice that scored junior shortstop Kyle McPherson before initiating a double steal that resulted in Semones stealing home for a third run. Finally, Coale scored on an RBI single by Sciorra.

COMEBACK EFFORT
The Dukes mounted a comeback with a Semones RBI double in the fifth and a Brad McKay RBI groundout in the seventh, but Mason held them off with an insurance run through a Popatak RBI groundout in the sixth.

STAFF DAY
Several JMU pitchers stood out with solid performances on a designated staff day. Sophomore Matt Marsili struck out a career-high five batters in his first career start. Freshman Cam Vassar and senior Michael Evans both threw scoreless innings, while junior Matt Colon worked two and two thirds innings without allowing a run or hit.

QUOTING COACH IKENBERRY
"We hadn't swung the bats well in our last few games, and today I thought we put together really good at-bats. The biggest thing today is that we didn't play defense. If we play defense with two outs, it's a 6-2 game. But I was proud of the way our guys adjusted to college baseball and changed their approach at the plate."

UP NEXT
The Dukes host a crucial Colonial Athletic Association series against College of Charleston, starting with a Friday night clash at VMP with a 6 p.m. first pitch. Admission to all regular season home games is free.