March 10, 2009 | Box Score

Two-Run Single in Ninth Lifts James Madison to 6-5 Victory

    Harrisonburg, Va. -- James Madison's David Herbek hit a two-run single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to lift the Dukes to a 6-5 win over the Youngstown State baseball team on Tuesday.
    Herbek's game-winner came after YSU scored two runs in the top of the ninth to take a 5-4 lead.
    John Koehnlein had three hits while David Leon, Jacke Healey and Anthony Porter had two apiece for YSU. Healey hit the single that put YSU ahead in the ninth. Those four players accounted for nine of YSU's 11 hits.
    Herbek had two hits of James Madison's 10 hits and drove in three runs.
    YSU junior Corey Vukovic threw well in his first start of the season, allowing three earned runs on nine hits in seven innings. Phil Klein threw a scoreless eighth, and Anthony Munoz was charged with the loss by giving up the two runs in the ninth.
    Trevor Knight earned the victory for JMU despite allowing two runs in 1.2 innings. Starter David Edwards allowed three runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings.
    The Penguins scored two runs in the first on back-to-back two-out hits by Eric Marzec and Porter. The Dukes scored a run on two hits and a sacrifice fly in the second, and they went ahead 3-2 in the fourth with a single, a double and a single with one out in the fourth.
    C.J. Morris doubled in pinch-runner Jason Reitenbach in the sixth to tie the score, but James Madison pulled back ahead with an unearned in the seventh on Herbek's two-out, RBI double.
    After leaving two runners stranded in the eight, the Penguins got help from the top of the order in the ninth. Koehnlein led off with an infield single, and Leon followed with a single to center. Healey ripped a single to right that scored Koehnlein, and Leon scored on a throwing error by right fielder Bryan Lescanec. Knight was able to work out of the inning, though, with no more damage.
    In the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter Jake Lowery led off with a walk after being down 0-2, and another walk and a hit batsman followed to load the bases with nobody out. Herbek then hit a 2-1 pitch down the left-field line to bring in the winning two runs.
    The Penguins and Dukes will wrap up the brief two-game series on Wednesday at 3 p.m.