Hempstead, NY - James Madison scored four runs in the third inning to break a 3-3 tie en route to a 9-4 win over the Pride Sunday afternoon at University Field.
The win gave the Dukes the series, two games to one, as the team improved to 11-17 on the year and 3-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Hofstra slipped to 10-11, 1-2 in the CAA after suffering its second consecutive loss.
Each team scored three times in the second inning. Kyle Weston had a two-run triple for the Dukes, while Ryan Donovan had a two-run triple for the Pride. John Taurinsky also added an RBI for Hofstra with a sacrifice fly.
But James Madison stormed right back and retook the lead, 7-3, thanks in part to shaky defense by the Pride. Ty McFarland led off the inning with a single and went to second when Conner Brown was hit by a Graham Tebbit pitch. Matt Tenaglia followed with an RBI single and Bobby San Martin delivered a sacrifice fly. After the second out was recorded, Hofstra went to the bullpen and brought in Brett Schreiber in relief of Tebbit. Schreiber induced an infield popup that was dropped, putting runners at second and third. Josh Wyatt made the Pride pay for the miscue with a two-run single.
The Pride chipped away at the lead with a run in the third as David Leiderman led off with a double and came home two batters later on a Matt Ford ground out. But that was all the scoring Hofstra would muster as JMU starter Mark Gunst and two relievers kept the Pride in check the rest of the way.
The Dukes would add two more unearned runs in the seventh with Tyler Gregory and Wyatt delivering RBIs.
Gunst (2-4) allowed four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. Michael Evans fanned the one batter he faced and Trent Cundiff notched his second save with 3 1/3 innings of one-hit relief.
Leiderman, Donovan and TJ Ehrsam (2 hits each) combined for six of the Pride's eight hits on the day. Tebbit (1-2) took the loss, allowing six runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings of work.
Wyatt, McFarland and Gregory each had three hits to pace the Dukes.
Hofstra concludes a six-game homestand Wednesday afternoon when it hosts Farmingdale State at 3 p.m.
