HARRISONBURG, Va. —The Elon University baseball team lost 8-4 to James Madison University in its first of three games against the Dukes this weekend. 

It took just two at-bats for the Dukes to get on the scoreboard. After Elon starting pitcher Joe Savino hit James Madison third baseman Trevon Dabney with a pitch, outfielder Chase DeLauter, who currently leads the Colonial Athletic Association with a batting average of .412, hit a home run to give the Dukes an early 2-0 lead. Later in the inning with two outs, James Madison extended that lead, as with runners on second and third, designated hitter Jacob Steinberg hit a two RBI single to shallow left field. Savino then struck out the next batter to finally end the first inning. 

Redshirt sophomore right fielder Alex Iadisernia batted in a team leading 27th run for Elon in the top of the third inning when he hit a triple to score sophomore outfielder Justin Cassella, making the score 4-1. 

In the third inning, the Dukes again found offensive success when catcher Jason Schiavone hit a single with runners on first and second to score a run and put James Madison up 5-1. 

In the top of the next inning, the Phoenix added two runs on RBI singles from redshirt sophomore third baseman Connor Coolahan and freshman left fielder Charlie Granatell. The Phoenix had runners on first and second with two outs and sophomore first baseman Cole Reynolds at the plate. He hit a high fly ball to deep right field, but it fell three feet short and into the glove of James Madison right fielder Carson Bell. The Phoenix decreased its deficit to 5-3 but did not get any closer. 

In the bottom of the sixth, James Madison extended its lead to 8-3 with a two run single and a sacrifice fly. The Phoenix added one more run in the ninth, but it was too little too late, as the Dukes cruised to their fourth CAA victory. 

Despite the loss, Iadisernia had another strong performance, going 3-5 with two RBIs. He needed just a home run to hit for the cycle, which is when a player hits a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. His .351 batting average currently ranks seventh in the CAA. 

The loss drops Elon’s CAA record to 1-3. The Phoenix will look to rebound in a rematch Saturday at 4 p.m.