HARRISONBURG, Va. – Graduate student
Justin Showalter had his best start of the season, throwing a career-high tying 11 strikeouts while redshirt junior
Travis Reifsnider homered in his first two at bats to lead James Madison baseball to a series opening win, 8-3, over Northeastern on Friday night at Veterans Memorial Park.
The Dukes move to 18-15, 5-5 as the Huskies drop to 17-16-1, 3-7.
Showalter earned his third win of the season behind a season-high seven innings, as he scattered seven hits and allowed only a run in the first inning. Reifsnider tied his career-high in hits, as he went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, two runs scored, two home runs, and three RBI's.
How It Happened
Northeastern kicked off the scoring in the first inning, scoring off a single for a 1-0 lead. The Dukes responded with four runs of their own in the first, with Reifsnider kicking it off with a two-run homer after redshirt junior
Trevon Dabney led off the inning with a double. After back-to-back singles following the home run, redshirt sophomore
Mason Dunaway scored a run on a safety squeeze before freshman
Ryan Dooley singled in the final run of the inning for a 4-1 lead.
The four runs would be all the run support Showalter would need, as he found a groove and settled in following the first. He would record a strikeout in all but one inning that he pitched, and struck out the side in both the fourth and seventh innings.
Meanwhile, the Dukes added to the run total as they scored a pair of runs in the third and sixth innings. Reifsnider led off the third with a blast to the opposite field and was followed by redshirt junior
Carson Bell two batters later who also homered to left field. In the sixth, Dooley recorded his first career multi-RBI game with a double to score Dunaway, who led off with a single. Redshirt junior
Nick Zona then laid down a bunt to score pinch runner
Bryce Suters and give the Dukes an 8-1 lead.
The Huskies scored twice in the ninth, but that was the only opposition JMU faced after Showalter left the game as they held on for the 8-3 win.
Game Notes
Up Next
The two squads face off in the middle game of the series on Saturday, April 16 for a 4 p.m. first pitch at Veterans Memorial Park.