LEXINGTON, Va. ? A four-run fourth inning, provided by back-to-back two-run knocks by Alex Foltz and Trevor Knight, gave JMU a lead it would not relinquish as the Dukes scored an 8-5 victory over VMI in non-conference baseball action on Wednesday evening at Gray-Minor Stadium.
Foltz (3-for-5, 3 RBI) and Knight (3-for-5, 2 RBI) combined for six hits and five RBI from the top two spots in the lineup, as JMU (28-19) defeated VMI (16-29) for the second time this season.
JMU starting pitcher David Edwards (4-1) worked around six hits and three walks through his five innings, picking up the win while allowing three runs. Kevin Munson, the fourth Duke hurler of the evening, recorded his eighth save of the season by striking out three of the four batters that he retired. VMI starting pitcher Travis Smink (6-3) took the loss, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks in 3.2 innings.
The Dukes took a first-inning lead when Knight executed a straight steal of home after reaching with a one-out single. VMI answered in the bottom of the inning, with the first four batters reaching base against Edwards, the last when Sam Roberts drew a bases-loaded walk.
Edwards then settled down, retiring the next seven hitters that he faced. That run ended when Jordan Ballard singled with one out in the third inning. Graham Sullivan later followed with a base knock down the left-field line to score Ballard, but Edwards again bounced back to strand multiple runners on base.
With VMI leading 2-1, the Dukes struck for their big inning. Smink walked the bases loaded and surrendered Foltz's two-run single before exiting the contest. Chris Henderson came on for VMI and allowed Knight's two-run double, bringing the advantage to 5-2 for the visitors.
The Keydets cut into the margin in the fifth when Justin Topping hit a sacrifice fly to score Ballard. The Dukes, however, extended their lead in the coming innings, scoring a single run in the seventh and two more in the eighth.
VMI's last best chance came in the eighth. Trailing 8-3, the Keydets took advantage of a pair of errors to score two runs against reliever Justin Wood. Munson then came on in a three-run game and slammed the door to pick up the save.
Sam Roberts went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks for the Keydets at the plate, while Jordan Ballard and A.J. Yoder also had a pair of knocks for VMI. Tanner Biagini drew three walks, while Alex Haitsuka's pinch-hit RBI double represented the Keydets' only extra-base hit of the evening.
The Keydets now break for exams and will return to action on Saturday, May 9, traveling to Conway, S.C. to take on Coastal Carolina.
