The Tennessee Vols' baseball team fell behind early and never regained control as it lost to the James Madison Dukes 10-3 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Wednesday. The loss was the third straight for the Vols and dropped the team to 4-4 on the season.

"It’s almost like a parent telling a 16-year old over and over what’s going to happen and they do it anyway," Tennessee coach Todd Raleigh said following the setback. "There are no speeches. Sometimes you just have to play through it."

The starting pitching that kept the Vols close in previous games this year dug the team an early hole against the Dukes as starter Joey Rosas fell behind 4-0 in the top of the first inning.

There are no speeches. Sometimes you just have to play through it.Todd RaleighRosas walked Alex Foltz and Joe Lake on eight straight pitches after throwing a pair of strikes to open the game. The runners then moved up to second and third on a throwing error by catcher Blake Forsythe.

Foltz scored the game's opening run on an RBI groundout by Brett Sellers before clean-up hitter Steven Caseres widened the margin to 3-0 on a two-run home run to right field.

Right fielder Matt Browning then drove the next pitch off the wall in left-center field for a triple and scored the Dukes' fourth run on an RBI groundout by McKinnon Langston.

The Vols managed to cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the first on RBIs by freshmen P.J. Polk and Josh Liles. Andy Simunic drew a leadoff walk and stole second before Polk's double to left-center brought home the Vols' first run of the game.

"I just tried to stay with my approach and I got a good pitch and I just went with it," Polk said. "I thought it would get something started."

Cody Brown and Jeff Lockwood then struck out looking before catcher Blake Forsythe kept the inning alive by drawing a walk. Liles followed the base on balls with a single to right field to drive in Polk and make the score 4-2.

The Vols would get no closer, however, as they dropped their third straight game since last Friday's stunning upset over third-ranked Texas. 

"Obviously it can be frustrating when you come off a huge win like that and you’re feeling good about yourself and the team and you fall into a little bit of a rut," Simunic said. "The main thing is to keep working hard. Things are going to turn around."

Rosas took the loss by allowing four earned runs on three hits in 2 1/3 innings. He walked four batters and struck out one before being replaced by Zane Stone.

The score remained 4-2 until James Madison regained its four-run lead in the top of the fourth inning. Lake drove in the runs with a two-out, bases-loaded single to right field. Langston and Brett Garner scored on the hit after reaching base on a lead-off triple and one-out walk, respectively.

"I thought we did a good job by responding," Raleigh said. "Then we went out and gave up another two-spot and we’re not offensive enough to come back from that. We just don’t have the firepower to do that."

The Dukes scored again in the top of the fifth on a lead-off home run by Sellers. The blast to the bleachers in left field made the score 7-2 and ended Stone's day after 1 2/3 innings. The senior struck out one and allowed three earned runs on three hits and one walk.

The main thing is to keep working hard. Things are going to turn around. Andy Simunic

D.J. Leffler replaced Stone and fared no better than his predecessors on the mound for Tennessee. The junior walked four batters in the fifth and allowed a run when Langston scored on a bases-loaded walk by Mike Fabiaschi to make the score 8-2.

Leffler was not charged an earned run due to a throwing error earlier in the inning by third baseman Cody Brown. He was replaced by sophomore Bryan Powell to begin the sixth inning, who allowed one hit in his inning of work and was the first Tennessee pitcher not to allow a run.

Danny Wiltz came in to pitch the seventh inning and began by allowing a leadoff single to Browning. Langston grounded out to move Browning to second base before Wiltz issued a walk to put runners at first and second.

Wiltz then threw the ball into the outfield on a pickoff attempt at second base, allowing Browning came around from second to score and increase the lead to seven. Wiltz would walk another batter in the inning, bringing the Vols' total to 11 on the day.

Aaron Everett came in to pitch the eighth inning and became the fifth pitcher to give up a run for the Vols when Lake came around to score from first base on a double by Sellers. The RBI was Sellers' third on the day.

The Vols scored their first run since the first inning and the final run of the game on a home run by senior Jarred Frazier in the bottom of the eighth. The left fielder was in the starting lineup for the first time this season and had only two at-bats entering the game.

Lockwood pitched the ninth inning to become the eighth pitcher of the day for UT. The sophomore pitched around the team's fourth error of the game and allowed no runs with one hit and one strikeout in his inning of work.

Tennessee continues its season-long, nine-game homestand with three games against Eastern Michigan this weekend. Steve Crnkovich, Nick Hernandez and Bryan Morgado will be the starters for the series. Game times are scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday.