Dukes shut out Rams in weekend series

HARRISONBURG – The baseball team finished its series against James Madison Sunday, scoring only one run over the weekend and dropping three straight at Long Field/Mauck Stadium.

After being shut out in back-to-back games Friday and Saturday, the Rams yet again succombed to strong pitching from the Dukes. For the series, the JMU pitching staff tossed 24 1/3 scoreless innings, limiting a Rams team that had produced double-digit hits in the 10 games prior to this series to only 12 hits for the series.

James Madison right-hander Ryan Reid struck out nine in eight innings, and senior second baseman Michael Cowgill hit his 12th home of the season.

Trailing 7-0 heading into the top of the seventh, the Rams scored their only run of the game and weekend when designated hitter Tim St. Clair (Woodbridge Va.) homered with one out in the seventh. The Dukes scored two more runs in the bottom of the eigth to round out the scoring.

The Rams started out the weekend Friday falling to the Dukes 4-0. Right-hander Harold Mozingo (Tappahannock/Essex High School), despite pitching for his third complete game, was out done by Dukes righty Travis Miller. Mozingo allowed six hits, four runs and four walks with 12 strikeouts, one away from his season high.

On Saturday, Dukes senior pitcher Greg Nesbitt went the distance, allowing only four hits, one walk and seven strikeouts to lead James Madison past VCU 8-0. Junior John Leonard (Virginia Beach/Kellam High School) pitched 7 2/3 innings for the Rams with six hits, six runs, three earned runs, four walks and seven strikeouts in the loss.