Highlander Rally Falls Just Short

HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Radford baseball was unable to complete a late rally, falling just short in a 3-2 non-conference loss to James Madison Tuesday afternoon at Long Field/Mauck Stadium.(Box Score)

JMU senior right-hander Brian Leatherwood (Norfolk, Va./Granby) tossed six shutout innings and sophomore Travis Risser (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) hurled two shutout frames to earn a save, allowing one single, walking none and striking out three. The Dukes have won five of their last six to improve to 13-18 overall. The Highlanders dipped to 8-23.

In the eighth, RU junior shortstop David Landman (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel
Highlands) and sophomore center fielder Jesse Ross (Chesapeake,
Va./Greenbriar Christian) led off the inning with back-to-back singles off
JMU sophomore reliever Clay McKim (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic).

Senior second baseman Alan Ashworth (Danville, Va./Tunstall) greeted
Risser by pulling an RBI single through the hole and into right field.
After Risser got his first strikeout, freshman catcher Nate Toth (Bedford,
N.H./Manchester) dropped down a sacrifice bunt, which allowed Ross to
score the second run. Following a fielding error by the Dukes on a
grounder by junior first baseman John Vellines (Norfolk, Va./Maury),
freshman designated hitter Scott Hoar (Springfield, Va./Lake Braddock)
bounced out to Risser to end the threat.

A sacrifice fly by junior Michael Cowgill (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) in
the first inning and an RBI single by freshman center fielder Kellen
Kulbacki (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) in the fourth plated the first two runs for the Dukes. JMU took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the seventh when
Kulbacki walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and
scored on a two-out fielding error.

Leatherwood, making his third start of the season after beginning the year
injured, gave up just three hits and two walks in his six frames. He
struck out five.

Ross, Ashworth and Landman had two hits each to account for all of
Radford’s base knocks. JMU’s seven hits came from as many different
players.

Radford will host High Point in a Big South three game series beginning Friday. The Dukes face Richmond on the road at 3:00 p.m.