FARMVILLE, Va. –Longwood baseball never could get comfortable on Tuesday against James Madison.
 
The Dukes (11-22) never had a knockout blow, but enough body shots by the offense, coupled with 14 strikeouts by the pitching staff, was enough to hold Longwood (9-24) at bay late to win 8-2.
 
Meanwhile, the JMU offense had three-hit days from Coleman Calabrese and Kyle Langley, and the top four guys in the order scored seven of the team's eight runs.
 
SCORING:
               R             H            E
JMU       8             11           2
LWU      2             8             2
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Langley gave JMU an early 2-0 lead in the first s the Dukes started with three base runners in their first four batters, and he scored on an RBI groundout from Jack Anderson for a 3-0 lead.
 
Calabrese added an RBI single in the third.
 
On the other side, JMU starter Griffin Madden was sharp. He set the tone with five strikeouts out of the eight batters he faced in his 2.0 innings, and the rest of the staff followed his lead.
 
Five of the nine pitchers that the Dukes used struck out multiple batters, and that kept the Lancer offense from finding its footing early in the contest.
 
The Lancer pitchers were able to help Longwood hang around, as Isaiah Brewington pitched a career high 4.0 innings. He gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits and three walks while striking out three, but he was able to limit the damage.
 
Longwood's offense finally got on track with a base hit in the fifth, but JMU's relief corps always dodged hard contact or came up with the timely strikeout from the fifth to the seventh to avoid runs.
 
Finally, the Lancers got on the board in the eighth with back-to-back-to-back two-out singles from Mac Tufts, Bentley Yeatts and Casey Gibbs to cut the lead to 7-1.
 
After JMU answered with a run, Longwood started the ninth out with a triple from Nathan Lancianese, and Jae'dan Carter drove him home with a single up the middle. The rally stalled there though for the final tally.
 
Madden (1-0) got the win for JMU with his five strikeouts in two shutout frames.
 
Brewington (0-1) took the loss for Longwood.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"It was great to see Brewington get back to what we saw in the fall," said Longwood Head Coach Ray Noe. "We didn't play any defense behind him, but he looked poised and calm with multiple pitches for a strike."

"Our pitchers did a nice job handling their offense, and they limited damage with runners on base," Noe added. "We didn't have a whole lot of offense tonight. We really struggled t put the ball in play which never gives you a chance."
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood returns to action on Friday to open a three-game series against the Big South favorite, High Point. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+.
 
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