Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

HARRISONBURG, Va. -The University of Delaware baseball team flipped a triple play and turned a pair of inning-ending double plays, but James Madison was able to overcome the Blue Hen defense on the way to a 6-4 victory during a Colonial Athletic Association bout at Eagle Field on Friday evening.

The loss marked the fourth in a row for Delaware (20-19, 3-10 CAA), including the fifth straight in conference action. The victory was the eighth in the last nine CAA contests for James Madison (22-19, 12-4), who was selected as the preseason favorites in the league.

Junior shortstop Dave Anderson (at right) started three double plays and capped off Delaware’s third-inning triple play to bolster the team’s defensive efforts. He also posted an RBI double in the fourth to help lead the offense.

Hank Yates also roped two hits for Delaware, while Todd Menchaca and Carlos Alonso each tallied a hit and RBI.

Delaware struck first in the top of the second when D.J. Long walked, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Yates. James Madison quickly fired back, plating three in the bottom of the frame on a two-run double by Johnny Bladel and an RBI knock by Nick Fabiaschi to secure a 3-1 advantage.

After the Hens were retired quietly in the top of the third, the squad’s defense came through with a huge play in the bottom of the inning. Following a leadoff single by Matt Tenaglia and a walk to Matt Townsend, the Dukes had a pair on with no outs. Seemingly in position to extend the lead, James Madison was thwarted by the Delaware defense.

With both runners moving on the pitch, Bladel rocketed a shot to first base, which Ryan Cuneo snagged on the fly. Perfectly aware of the situation, the senior quickly stepped on first for the second out before firing a strike to Anderson to complete the rare 3-6 triple play. It marked only the 10th time in program history that the Blue Hens performed the feat with the last one occurring on March 24, 2007 when Alex Buchholz did it unassisted against Hofstra.

Fittingly, the momentum from the team’s defensive performance carried right over to the plate. In the top of the fourth, Yates ripped a two-out single before Anderson drove him in with a double down the left field line. Menchaca followed with an RBI triple to deep centerfield that knotted the game at three. One batter later, Alonso broke the deadlock after beating out an infield single that allowed Menchaca to score.

Clutching to a modest one-run advantage, Delaware escaped a fourth inning rally with its lead intact. After James Madison loaded the bases with only one out, the Hens capitalized on a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.

Unfortunately, in the fifth, the squad was not as fortunate. Following back-to-back one-out walks, Bladel poked an RBI single to center that evened the game at four. Later, after a Delaware pitching change, Fabiaschi broke the tie with a two-run double to center that gave the hosts a 6-4 edge.

After James Madison’s resurgence, the Delaware bats fell quiet. Although the Hens were able to draw three walks over the final four innings of play, the squad could not capitalize on the free passes. Eventually, the Dukes bullpen closed out the victory as James Weiner and Kevin Munson combined to toss 2.1 spotless innings of relief.

Kyle Hoffman (4-3) earned the victory after scattering four runs on five hits over 6.2 innings of work. Nick Young (1-6) took the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings on the hill.

The two teams will continue their series tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.