NEWS RELEASE
Apr. 9, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Calvin Sweeney, Director of Sports Communications
sweenecw@dukes.jmu.edu
Harrisonburg, Va. – With an 11-5 victory over the App State Mountaineers on Sunday, the James Madison Dukes grabbed their first Sun Belt series of the year and completed the sweep.
The first half of the game were very back and forth, as teams traded leads three times in the first five innings. After a throwing error by starting pitcher Casey Smith contributed to an early App State lead, the Dukes scored their first four runs via the home run. Catcher Jason Schiavone went yard in the third inning, followed by another home run from designated hitter Ryan Dooley. In the fourth inning, outfielder Kyle Langley hit a two-run home run to give the Dukes a 4-3 lead. In the sixth inning, Todd Mozoki was able to get himself out of a jam, but the Mountaineers tied the game at 4-4.
In the bottom of the sixth, third basemen Wyatt Peifer hit a bases-clearing double to give the Dukes a 7-4 lead. The Mountaineers couldn’t recover after this point as the Dukes kept adding on throughout the second half of the game. Dooley continued his hot day with an RBI single in the seventh, and outfielder Fenwick Trimble, second baseman Mike Mancini, and first baseman Coleman Calabrese each hit RBI singles in the eighth to extend the lead to 11-4. After giving up a home run and two hit by pitches in the top of the ninth, pitcher Joe Vogatsky was able to close the door and secure an 11-5 JMU victory.
Head coach Marlin Ikenberry gave credit to his bullpen and his hitters’ approaches in the victory.
“I thought the bullpen were outstanding…they got us out of big jams, whether it was with double play balls or big outs,” Ikenberry said after the game. “We had some really great approaches…I was excited to see that.”
The win brought the Dukes back up to .500 in conference play. They will play a weekday game at home against Richmond on Wednesday, then will hit the road for a weekend series at Old Dominion.
App State moves to 5-7 in SBC play and will play their next four games at home, with a game on Tuesday against UNC Asheville and a weekend series against Troy.
About JMU Baseball
The James Madison University men’s baseball team competes as a high-level Division I program in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) and hail from Harrisonburg, Virginia. Coach Marlin Ikenberry is the leader of this pack located at Veteran Memorial Park’s Eagle Field. For more information about the schedule, roster, or excellence, visit https://jmusports.com/sports/baseball.
Sources: https://www.breezejmu.org/sports/jmu-baseball-completes-sweep-of-app-state-during-third-game-of-series/article_5fb1655a-f5b2-11ee-98b6-4b3060858cac.html