UNCW Edges JMU, 5-4, In 10 Innings

5/26/2016 3:56:45 PM

Rob Washburn

Box Score CAA Championship Central

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. (May 26, 2016) – Zack Canada’s walk-off RBI single in the 10^th inning lifted top-seeded UNCW to a 5-4 victory over #4 James Madison in Game 4 of the CAA Baseball Championship on Thursday afternoon at the Ballpark at Patriots Point.

The Seahawks (38-15) advance to the winner’s bracket final against either William & Mary or College of Charleston at Noon on Friday. The Dukes (24-30) will return to action at either 7 p.m. tonight or 3:30 p.m. on Friday depending on the outcome of the W&M/CofC contest.

Gavin Stupienski drew a walk to open the 10^th inning, moved to second on Nick Feight’s single and advanced to third on a fly out to right. With two down, Canada hit a hard grounder to the left side that was gloved deep in the hole by the shortstop, but the Seahawks’ first baseman was able to beat out the throw as Stupienski scored the winning run.

JMU sent the game into extra innings in equally dramatic fashion. Trailing 4-2 with two outs in the top of the ninth, Kyle McPherson reached on an error and catcher Zach Tondi followed by sending a 3-2 pitch over the right-field wall for his seventh homer of the season.

Austin Magestro (5-3) picked up the win for UNCW after throwing a scoreless 10^th that included stranding a JMU runner on third.

JMU wasted little time getting on the board as first baseman Brett Johnson launched a two-run shot over the wall in left in the top of the first. It was Johnson’s team-leading seventh homer of the season.

After surrendering the first-inning homer, UNCW starting pitcher Ryan Foster held the Dukes to a pair of hits over the next six frames. The CAA Co-Pitcher of the Year went 7.2 innings, struck a career-high nine batters and didn’t issue a walk.

UNCW was limited to two hits over the first four frames by JMU starting pitcher Brandon Withers before breaking through in the fifth. Canada doubled off the wall in left and a Robbie Thorburn single put runners on the corners. Shortstop Kennard McDowell followed with a double to the left-center gap that knotted the contest at 2-2.

The Seahawks took a 3-2 lead in the seventh. McDowell drew a walk, stole second and scored on a Brian Mims pop up that dropped into shallow center for an RBI double. UNCW tacked on another run in the eighth as Feight, the CAA Player of the Year, blasted his league-leading 20^th homer of the season to left.

Feight paced UNCW offensively with a 4-for-5 performance, while Canada was 2-for-3. Johnson was the only JMU player with multiple hits, going 2-for-4.