HARRISONBURG, Va. ? Despite being out-hit by a 2-to-1 margin the entire game, the Ohio baseball squad took leads into the bottom of the ninth and 12th innings, but could not hold off James Madison in the 8-7 loss Tuesday evening.

After breaking a deadlock with a run in the top of the 12th to take a 7-6 advantage, Ohio relievers Daniel Weiss (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Cody Neyman (Dravosburg, Pa.) gave up three walks and two hits while Weiss committed a throwing error as the Dukes (6-11) brought home the winning runs. The ninth inning collapse sent Ohio (3-10) to its fifth-straight loss.

After neither team threatened in the 11th, the Bobcats broke a four-inning scoring drought as Brian White's (Frankfort, Ohio) double scored Bryant Witt (Powell, Ohio) from first base for a 7-6 lead. Weiss got a groundout to start the bottom half of the inning, but a JMU walk and single put runners at the corners. Weiss? error scored Dan Santobianco from third to tie the game at 7-7 and another walk brought Neyman on to pitch, who immediately got the second out of the inning on a pop-up. The Dukes were not to be denied however, as Nate Schill singled to right center field for the game-winning RBI.

?We just couldn?t finish it off,? said Ohio Head Coach Joe Carbone. ?They threw two pretty good pitchers at us and we hung in there, but we just didn?t have enough to finish off the game.?

The Dukes got on the board first with two runs in the second inning, marking the ninth time this season that the Bobcats? opponent scored first. It didn?t take long for the Bobcats to retaliate, however, as they plated three runs in the top of the third to take a temporary lead. Ben Crabtree (Roxbury, Conn.) led off with a double and Dusty Hammond (Bellefontaine, Ohio) followed by reaching on an error to give Ohio runners at the corners with no outs. After a strikeout, Bryan Buck (Hudson, Ohio) singled to bring home Crabtree and set up Matt Stiffler (Bellbrook, Ohio) for a two RBI double to left center that put the Bobcats ahead, 3-2.

With southpaw Daniel Utts (Circleville, Ohio) on in relief of starter John Angelicchi (Woodmere, Ohio), JMU struck again with two tallies in the bottom of the third to regain the lead. The first four batters reached base by single, RBI triple, RBI double, and a fielding error that forced Ohio to its bullpen for the second time. New Bobcat reliever Yale Silverman (Baton Rouge, La.) got a groundout in his first batter faced, but a wild pitch allowed JMU?s Davis Stoneburner to cross for a 5-3 advantage.

The Dukes threatened again in the bottom of the fifth, but Silverman caught JMU?s Matt Sluder looking for his second strikeout of the inning with two runners on. That momentum carried over to the top of the sixth, where the Bobcats were able to draw one run closer. Buck reached and advanced to second base on a JMU error, then moved to third on a Stiffler groundout. Brian Colopy (Columbus, Ohio) followed with a sacrifice fly to center field that brought home Buck to cut the Dukes? lead to 5-4.

In the Ohio seventh, Phil Sabatini (Oakmont, Pa.) got things started by drawing a one-out walk and then advanced to third on a single by Crabtree that chased JMU starter Bobby Lasko. Hammond, the first batter Dukes reliever Travis Risser faced, promptly doubled to the gap in left center to score Sabatini and Crabtree for a 6-5 lead. Any threat of another Bobcat run in the frame was lost though, when Hammond was thrown out trying to reach third base.

Bobcat reliever Dan O?Rourke (Monongahela, Pa.) came on with one out and two runners on in the JMU seventh and got Stoneburner to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to squelch the threat. After the Dukes left two runners on in their half of the eighth, they finally broke through on O?Rourke in what would have been their last at-bat. Each of the first three JMU batters in the bottom of the ninth singled, the third by Schill scored Michael Cowgill to tie the game at 6-6. O?Rourke was able to get the Bobcats to extra innings, however, as he struck out two-consecutive JMU batters to end the threat.

Both the Bobcats and JMU had their chances to win in the 10th inning. Ohio?s Stiffler struck out swinging to strand White at second base in their half and the Dukes left the bases loaded when Weiss, who started the inning in relief of O?Rourke, got JMU?s Kellen Kulbacki to fly out to left field.

Weiss (0-2) took the loss for Ohio, the second game in a row he has received a negative decision. The Bobcats used six pitchers on the day, including the starter Angelicchi, who made his first collegiate appearance on the road to recovery from an arm injury.

Crabtree recorded his fourth multiple-hit game of the season with a 2-for-5 performance with two runs scored.

Risser (4-1) threw 5 2/3 innings of relief to earn the victory for JMU. Kulbacki, Schill, and Matt Bristow finished with four hits apiece to lead the Dukes? 17-hit attack.

The Bobcats and JMU will close out the two-game set tomorrow afternoon in Mauck Stadium with first pitch slated for 2:30 p.m. Freshman Andrew Shisila will make his Bobcat debut on the mound against a JMU starter that has yet to be named.