Walk-off Erases10-run Deficit
April 23, 2009 • By Dan Lobdell, The Breeze
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HARRISONBURG, Va. — A ferocious comeback by JMU baseball against Longwood resulted in the Dukes’ biggest comeback of the season Wednesday at Long Field/Mauck Stadium.
JMU spotted the Lancers a 10-run lead in the first two innings on its way to an exciting 16-14 victory. Sophomore shortstop David Herbek’s walk-off three-run homer over the left field fence sealed the comeback win.
“It’s my first career walk-off ever,” Herberk said. “Anywhere.”
The win boosts JMU’s record to 24-18 overall heading into a home conference series this weekend against Georgia State.
Madison was able to overcome a shaky start by junior right-hander David Edwards.
With the wind blowing to left field, Edwards gave up three home runs in the first two innings and was pulled with the bases loaded and no outs in the second.
Left-hander Jason Kuhn came in and promptly allowed a three-run double to second baseman Brant Jones for the 7-0 lead. Jones was driven in on third baseman Phil Cerreto’s second home run in as many innings.
After Kuhn hit back-to-back batters, he was yanked in favor of right-hander Josh Futter. He retired all three batters he faced, but did allow a run on a wild pitch to give Longwood a 10-0 lead.
“We got off to a little deficit,” Herbek said. “But I think the mood in the dugout even from the first two innings when we were down 10 nothin’ was you know ‘Guys we got this.’ And with a day like this with the wind blowing out so much, I don’t think anyone in here ever lost hope that we’d comeback and win.”
The Dukes began to claw back in the bottom of the third. Madison’s comeback started with multiple runs in four consecutive innings.
After retiring the first seven batters he faced, Lancer starter Troy Dickman gave up a double to designated hitter Bryan Lescanec. Catcher Chris Johnson’s ensuing two-run homer to center field finally got the Dukes on the board.
In the fourth, shortstop David Herbek led off with a single and left field Matt Browning followed with another single. Both scored in the inning to make it 10-4.
After Longwood tacked on another run in the fifth, JMU answered with two of its own. An RBI double to deep center field, followed by a Matt Browning RBI single pulled the Dukes within five. Dickman was pulled in favor of right-hander Chris Briere.
A deep leadoff double by second baseman Mike Fabiaschi in the sixth was followed by third baseman Kent Burford’s second home run of the year to narrow the Lancers’ lead to three. Lescanec’s single to center on a 1-2 fastball ended Briere’s day.
Left fielder Matt Browning’s two RBI single brought the Dukes to within one.
A three run Lancer eighth did not deter Madison’s hopes of a comeback.
Trailing 14-10 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Dukes scored six runs, four off of Panther John Walker II, who took the loss.
Junior right fielder Matt Townsend extended his career-best hitting streak to 32 games on his sixth and final at bat of the game. It also happened to be his most crucial at bat.
His two RBI double looked like the game-tying home run, but bounced off the center field fence to set the stage for Herbek’s walk-off blast.
“I just told these guys in the dugout we’re gonna make this happen,” JMU coach Spanky McFarland said. “We’re gonna have the biggest comeback of the season today. And that’s what we did.”
Contact Dan Lobdell at breezesports@gmail.com
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