FROM PRESS RELEASES
James Madison 10 Va Tech 3
BLACKSBURG, Va., March 11, 2008 – James Madison University led from start to finish and put five runs on the board in the ninth inning to pull away from Virginia Tech for a 10-3 non-conference baseball win Tuesday afternoon at English Field.
JMU improved to 9-3 overall and won its fifth in a row for the first time since late in the 2006 season. It is the first five-game winning streak of entirely road games since 1995. VT dropped to 7-7 for the season. The Dukes won their third straight game at English Field with the last loss in 1998. They improved to 30-20 all-time against the Hokies, including five wins in a row and a 12-3 mark since that loss in 1998.
Redshirt senior Trevor Kaylid (Cary, N.C./Green Hope), who started in three wins against Atlantic Coast Conference foes in 2007, picked up another ACC win, going five innings and allowing two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Three freshmen combined to limit Tech to one run and two hits over the final four innings.
The top third of the JMU lineup drove in seven of the team’s 10 runs as JMU piled up 15 hits in the contest. The Dukes scored nine of their 10 runs with two outs.
Sophomore Alex Foltz (Mathias, W.Va./East Hardy) went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs in the leadoff spot. Redshirt senior Joe Lake (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach) had three hits and three RBIs in the two hole. Redshirt junior Brett Sellers (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) had a two-run single in the ninth for a career-best eight-game hitting streak.
Three other JMU batters had multiple-hit games. Junior Brett Garner (Burke, Va./Lake Braddock) was 2-for-4 with an RBI, two runs, and a walk. Redshirt junior Lee Bujakowski (Hopewell, Va./Hopewell) and redshirt sophomore Steven Caseres (New City, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) each had two hits and a run scored with Bujajkowski adding an RBI.
Redshirt senior Andrew Wells (Alexandria, Va./St. Stephen’s) took the loss for the Hokies, surrendering three runs, two earned, on six hits in four innings. Redshirt junior Rhett Ballard (High Point, N.C./S.W. Guilford) gave up five runs on six hits in 1 2/3 innings after entering the game with a 0.79 ERA and .162 opponent batting average.
Senior Matt Hacker (Richmond, Va./Tucker) and sophomore Anthony Sosnoskie (Front Royal, Va./Notre Dame Academy) each went 2-for-4 for Virginia Tech with Hacker adding an RBI. Freshman Tony Balisteri (Lexington, Va./Rockbridge Co.) drove in two runs with one hit.
JMU took the lead in the third after Foltz reached on a bunt single that hugged the third base line but stayed fair. He appeared to be picked off and caught in a rundown, but the short stop was unable to pull in the throw at second base. The Dukes took advantage with Lake coming through with an RBI single to left center.
The Dukes added two runs in the fourth when Caseres started the inning with a double off the wall in left centerfield. After a pair of groundouts, Bujakowski then lifted a double off the wall in right center to plate the second run. Garner then singled to right and Bumbry’s throw to the plate shorthopped the catcher, allowing Bujakowski to slide in safely.
VT got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Jose Cueto (Miami, Fla./Braddock) singled to start the inning and moved to second on a one-out single by freshman Michael Seaborn (Atlanta, Ga./Lovett) that hit the bag at third and bounced high in the air, preventing any further advancement. After a strikeout, Balisteri sent the first pitch he saw down the right field line for a two-run triple.
In the sixth, the Dukes loaded the bases on a walk and a pair of hit batters, all with two outs. Lake hit a grounder to the second baseman but Foltz was able to slide in before the toss at second, allowing Lake to reach safely on the fielder’s choice and scoring a run on the play.
In the bottom of the seventh, Ryan drew a one-out walk for the Hokies. After he stole second, he came around to score on a double by Hacker just inside the left field foul line. Mincone then entered in relief and the Dukes caught Hacker stealing at third and then struck out the batter to end the threat.
JMU put one on the board in the eighth as Garner led off with a double that bounced through the hole on the left side and off the short stop’s glove. The redirection off the glove allowed him to reach second for a double. He moved to third on a passed ball and, after a walk, came around to score on a fielder’s choice ground ball by Foltz.
The Dukes put the game away in the ninth. Freshman McKinnon Langston (Tallahassee, Fla./North Florida Christian) walked with one out and advanced to second on a single just beyond the reach of the second baseman by Bujakowski. After a strikeout, sophomore Mike Fabiaschi (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) grounded to second and the ball took a high bounce over Hacker for an RBI single. Foltz then sliced a single to right field for a 7-3 JMU lead. Lake followed with a similar opposite-field hit t to drive in another run for the Dukes. Sellers then lined the first pitch he saw back up the middle for a two-run single and a 10-3 lead.
JMU will return home Wednesday for the first time since March 2 for a 3 p.m. game against George Washington.
Rider 9 Hofstra 7
Hempstead, NY- Rider first baseman Matt McCollum led off the top of the eighth inning with a home run to snap a 7-7 tie and catcher Sean Olson added a solo home run in the ninth, his second of the game, to lead Rider past Hofstra, 9-7, at University Field Tuesday afternoon. The win improves Rider’s record to 6-2, while Hofstra falls to 4-7 after its fourth consecutive loss.
The Broncs jumped out to a 5-0 lead after 1 1/2 innings as third baseman Mason Heyne doubled in two runs in the first, and centerfielder Jon Leise singled in a run and second baseman Steve Galella drove in two more in the second inning.
The Pride chipped away and scored two runs in the home second on a bases loaded walk by left fielder Dion Pouncil and a fielder’s choice from second baseman Chris Mentrasti. The team then pulled within 5-4 in the fourth as Mentrasti had an RBI single and centerfielder Nick Panzarella scored on a passed ball.
Rider got one run back in the fifth as Olson hit a solo shot to centerfield to give Rider a 6-4 lead. Hofstra came right back in the bottom of the frame and scored three runs. Right fielder Dave Cole had a two-run single to tie the game and Pouncil knocked in the go ahead run with a sacrifice fly. The lead was short-lived, however, as Rider tied the game at 7 in the sixth on a RBI double by shortstop John Ralston.
Kris Brown picked up the win for Rider, throwing 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief before giving way to James Hayes in the ninth, who put the tying runs on base before escaping to earn the save.
Rob DiFalco took the loss for Hofstra, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings.
McCollum finished 3-for-4 on the day with two runs and an RBI, while Olson was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Six players had multiple hits for Rider as both teams collected 14 hits in the contest.
Cole finished 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs for the Pride, while Panzarella was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Designated hitter Adam Perlo was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Hofstra returns to action tomorrow at Saint Peter’s College. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Temple 10 Maryland Eastern Shore 7
PRINCESS ANNE, MD (3/11/08) – Temple jumped out to a nine-run advantage after seven innings and held on to a 10-7 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday afternoon at Hawks Stadium. Senior Stan Orzechowski (Philadelphia, PA / Northeast Catholic) homered twice and drove in four runs to lead the Owls to a season-high 10 runs. Junior RHP Matt Mongiardini (Toms River, NJ / Toms River) was efficient in improving to 2-0 and did not allow an earned run in five innings.
The Cherry and White (4-5) scored in all but two innings and tied a season-high with 13 hits. The three home runs, including a three-run first-inning blast by senior Mike Kelch (Annandale, VA / WT Woodson), were the first hit in 10 games this season at Hawks Stadium.
Orzechowski looked like the All-Philadelphia Big 5 outfielder from a year ago and was one of four Owls with multiple hits. Junior Jamie Abercrombie (Ambler, PA / Hatboro-Horsham) also had three base knocks, while Kelch and junior Mark Ortega (Palm Beach Gardens, FL / Palm Beach Gardens / Boston College) added two each.
Mongiardini needed just 53 pitches for his five innings of work and struck out four batters. He was making his first mid-week of his career and surrendered only two hits and did not walk a batter. The junior right-hander lowered his ERA to a team-best 1.50.
Freshmen Ben White (Parkesburg, PA / Coatesville) and Jordan Cannon (Reading, PA / Exeter Twp.) added two scoreless innings out of the pen, but UMES made some noise in the eighth. The Hawks took advantage of two TU errors and added three unearned runs to make it 10-4.
UMES (0-13) plated three more runs in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate, but sophomore Mike Click (Media, PA / Pennridge) induced a double-play groundball to end the game.
Following Kelch’s long-ball in the first, Orzechowski made it 5-1 with a two-run single in the second and Temple added another run in the frame on an error. Abercrombie knocked in a run in the fourth on a single and Ortega drove in Kelch in the fifth. Orzechowski then added solo blasts in the sixth and eighth to complete the scoring for the visitors.
Pat Hercinger had two hits and drove in four for Maryland Eastern Shore. Matt Witte (0-2) allowed nine earned runs in 7.2 innings to suffer the loss.
The Owls return to action on Wednesday when it visits Delaware State. Senior Eric Fritz (Rocky Hill, CT / Rocky Hill) will start for TU.
