JMU snapped a two-game losing skid and improved to 12-3 overall, 4-1 in the CAA. Hofstra dropped to 1-9 overall, 1-1 in the league.

The Dukes got nine hits in the fourth inning and struck for all 12 runs with one out before the second out was recorded. The big hits of the inning were a three-run triple by Jake Lowery, a three-run home run by Bradley Shaban and a two-run single by Conner Brown.

Jared Rogers took the loss for Hofstra to fall to 0-2 after allowing eight runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. Catcher Dylan Nasiatka was 3-for-4 with a solo home run as one of six Hofstra batters with multiple hits. Center fielder Danny Poma , shortstop Matt Ford , right fielder Kenny Jackson , first baseman Jared Hammer and second baseman Logan Davis each had two hits.

Overall, JMU got its 21 runs on 20 hits with the trio of Lowery, Shaban and Johnny Bladel combining to go 11-for-14 with 14 RBIs. Lowery singled, tripled and hit his league-leading ninth home run while driving in five. Bladel and Shaban each went 4-for-5 with four and five RBIs, respectively.

Senior left-hander Alex Valadja earned the win, allowing five runs on nine hits through five innings with three of the runs coming in the fifth after sitting through JMU's 12-run fourth. He improved to 2-0.

Holding a 3-2 lead in the JMU fourth, Brown led off with a double just inside the third-base bag. After a strikeout, Bladel hit a high chopper just over the head of the third baseman for an RBI single, advancing to second on the throw. Shaban followed with a single through the right side for a 5-2 JMU lead. After a walk loaded the bases, Lowery greeted new pitcher Stephan Kungl with a bases-clearing triple to the corner in right for an 8-2 lead. David Herbek then singled through a drawn-in infield to score Lowery. After leading off the inning, Brown then added a two-run single to center to make it 11-2. An RBI double by Bladel made it 12-2. After another pitching change, Shaban unleashed a three-run blast to right field for his first career round tripper.

Alex Foltz started the JMU first inning by singling and stealing second. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Cole McInturff and scored on an RBI single by Lowery. Herbek followed with a double off the wall in left, allowing Lowery to score all the way from first for a 2-0 lead.

The Pride threatened for a significant rally in the third. Hammer singled and second baseman Bobby Gazzola was hit by a pitch on a bunt attempt. Poma then singled on the first pitch to load the bases with no outs. After a strikeout, Nasiatka singled to right to drive in the first Pride run. However, Valadja escaped the jam by inducing a double play groundout.

JMU got the run back quickly as Lowery hit his CAA-leading ninth home run of the season to right center in the bottom of the third for a 3-1 score.

The Pride rallied with two outs in the fourth as designated hitter Kevin Flynn drew a full-count walk and then scored all the way from first on a full-count double to the corner in right by Hammer, pulling back within a run at 3-2 only to see the Dukes erupt for 12 in the bottom of the frame.

Hofstra loaded the bases with no outs again in the fifth. After a strikeout, a sacrifice fly by third baseman Joe Perez was followed by a pinch-hit two-run double by Jackson to make it 15-5 JMU.

In the bottom of the fifth, JMU loaded the bases with one out and got one run on a fielder's choice RBI groundout by Tyler McFarland, followed by a two-run double by Bladel. Shaban added an RBI single to right to make it 19-5.

Left fielder Bryan Verbitsky drilled a two-run home run, the first of his career, in the seventh for Hofstra to make it 19-7.

Sophomore catcher Billy Logan smacked a two-run home run for JMU in the seventh to close out the scoring for the Dukes. Hofstra came back with an RBI double by Ford in the eighth to account for its eighth run.

Both teams will look for the series win in Sunday's finale with a 1 p.m. start time.