Posted on March 29, 2007
Prior to Tuesday afternoon’s baseball game, JMU hadn’t been exactly proficient when it came to comebacks. The Dukes were 0-10 when trailing after the seventh inning before playing Virginia Tech, but strong offense through the eighth gave them a shot.
Junior second baseman Joe Lake drove in sophomore Bryan Lescanec in the eighth inning with a single to left field to help give JMU an 8-6 victory over the visiting Hokies.
JMU improved to 8-16 overall with the victory, the 1,100th win in program history, while Virginia Tech fell to 15-11.
The three-run eighth inning was started when sophomore outfielder Matt Townsend singled to center field after falling behind zero balls and two strikes. Pinch- hitting senior Rob Altieri laid down a sacrifice bunt followed by the next four Dukes reaching base on two singles, a walk and a hit by pitch. A sacrifice fly by junior Kellen Kulbacki drove in the third run of the inning, making the score 8-6.
“This game can do a lot,” Townsend said. “It feels good to get a come-from-behind win and it’s good for our confidence.”
The All-American and reigning Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year Kulbacki led the Dukes offense in the designated hitter role finishing 3-for-3, with four runs batted in, a run scored and his eighth home run of the year. He now has 40 home runs for his career, second all-time at JMU and one away from tying Michael Cowgill for first on the Dukes all-time list.
“I tried to hit it solid and it felt good off the bat. I got a pretty good piece on it,” Kulbacki said about his three- run home bomb in the third inning.
The home run came off Virginia Tech sophomore pitcher Evan Frederickson who started the game, but was pulled after throwing 109 pitches and giving up five earned runs. Sophomore Rhett Ballard was the Hokies’ losing pitcher, giving up all three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
After Tech was shut out in the first two innings on only one hit, three straight hits, including a home run by senior outfielder Nate Parks, jump-started the Hokies. A double by third baseman Brian Thomas and an RBI double from designated hitter Jose Cueto capped off the four-run third.
The fifth inning brought the only other runs for the Hokies, who hit eight doubles and a home run, but the JMU pitching staff was able to force the visitors into leaving seven runners on base.
“We hung in there and made pitches when we needed to,” JMU coach Spanky McFarland said. “We played good defense and that double play [in the top of the ninth] was a big play.”
On the mound, the Diamond Dukes were led by junior starter Trevor Kaylid. He was only able to complete two-and-a-third innings and freshman Dustin Crouch followed, pitching three-and-a -third innings. Senior Jacob Cook was the third pitcher for the Dukes, finishing three innings without giving up a run. Cook recorded his third win in JMU’s last six games while moving into seventh on the all-time JMU innings pitched list with 236 1/3 innings.
Freshman Matt Browning’s home run to right center field that first got the Dukes on the scoreboard was the first of his collegiate career.
