The Diamond Dukes kicked off their annual Purple and Gold Series Wednesday at Long Field/Mauck Stadium with the Purple team winning the first of the best-of-five series 10-6. 

Led by junior pitcher Turner Phelps (Roanoke, Va./Lord Botetourt), Purple took the lead in the bottom of the fourth and never looked back.  Phelps recorded the win after going four strong innings.  Redshirt sophomore Sean Tierney (Midlothian, Va./Clover Hill) , junior Kevin Munson (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring), and freshman Johnny Bladel (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) each tossed one inning on the mound for Purple.

Redshirt junior Kyle Hoffman (Reading, Pa./Twin Valley) took the loss for the Gold team after going 4 1/3 innings.  Sophomore Josh Futter (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) finished the game for Gold.

Senior Kent Burford (Waynesboro, Va./Stuarts Draft) went 3-for-3 while freshman Bradley Shaban (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) and junior David Herbek (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) each went 2-for-4, all headlining Purple’s offense.  Bladel also went 2-for-3 before taking the mound.

Redshirt junior Trevor Knight (Charlottesville, Va./St. Anne’s-Belfield) and senior Matt Browning (Mystic, Conn./Fitch), both went 2-for-4 to lead the Gold team.

With Gold down 10-6 in the top of the seventh with the bases loaded Knight came up to bat representing the tying run with two outs.  However, he came up just short, flying out to the warning track in left-center field to end the contest.

Game two is scheduled for Friday, October 2, at 3 p.m. at Long Field/Mauck Stadium.  Game three is Saturday at 1 p.m. while games four and five, if necessary, will be Sunday at 1:30 and Monday at 3 p.m.  All games will be seven innings.

*Compiled by Sam Foster, Sports Media Relations practicum student.