HARRISONBURG, Va. – The bats of the James Madison baseball team erupted for 28 runs to take the first of two games against VMI this season, 28-4, on Tuesday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Park.
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The Dukes move to 5-3 and are winners of their last five, while the Keydets fall to an even 4-4.
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Redshirt senior
Liam McDonnell picked up his second win of the year, making the start for JMU and going three innings without allowing a run and striking out three. Redshirt sophomore
Chase DeLauter had a career-high eight RBI's and collected four hits and scored three times, both tying career-highs. He is the first JMU player to knock in eight runs since Brett Johnson against UNC Asheville on Feb. 25, 2017.
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How It Happened
The runs for JMU came early and often, scoring eight in the first inning, seven in the second, and six in the third to lead 21-0 before VMI was able to score their first run.
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The Dukes scored the first inning runs on two-run home runs by redshirt junior
Travis Reifsnider and redshirt sophomore
Mason Dunaway, with freshman
Fenwick Trimble getting a two-run double in there as well as an RBI double and single by redshirt junior
Trevon Dabney and DeLauter, respectively.
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In the second, the Dukes scored their first two runs on fielder's choices with the bases loaded, followed by a bases loaded walk by Dabney. DeLauter then hit his first career grand slam to cap off the seven-run inning.
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JMU then scored six runs on a pair of two-run doubles by DeLauter and Reifsnider, with Dabney chipping in with a bases loaded hit by pitch and redshirt sophomore
Kyle Novak drawing a bases loaded walk.
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After the Keydets scored three runs in the fourth, the Dukes scored three runs themselves in the fourth to make it a 24-3 game. It was the fourth straight inning the Dukes scored. VMI scored once more in the sixth, but JMU scored two in the bottom half of the inning to make it 26-4.
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Freshman
Bryce Suters capped off the offensive barrage with a two-run double off the base of the center field wall to give JMU the 28-4 win.
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Game Notes
- Trevon Dabney is the first JMU player to score five runs in a game since Conner Brown vs. Georgia State on April 20, 2013.
- JMU has scored 73 runs in their last five games. It is the most runs scored by the program in a five-game span since Feb. 19-26, 2011 when they scored 82 runs in five games.
- It is the first 20-run game at home since a 20-6 win vs. NJIT on March 17, 2017 and the first 20-run game overall since JMU took down Tennessee 21-1 on March 7, 2018.
- This is the ninth game in the series history with VMI that the Dukes have scored 20 or more runs.
- The 28 runs are the most runs scored by the Dukes since scoring 37 in the 2011 season opener against Bucknell.
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Up Next
The Dukes hit the road and go down to the Commonwealth's capital, as they face off against Richmond at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
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