Reifsnider’s Double Walks the Dukes Off in Series Opener Over Tribe

Friday, April 22

Harrisonburg, Va.

6 p.m.

James Madison University

21-17, 7-6

William & Mary

17-17, 7-6

William & Mary

James Madison

Reifsnider’s Double Walks the Dukes Off in Series Opener Over Tribe

4/22/2022 10:18:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Redshirt junior Travis Reifsnider hit a towering fly ball in the bottom of the tenth that went off the right field wall, ending up on second base to walk James Madison baseball off, 5-4, against William & Mary on Friday night at Veterans Memorial Park.

The Dukes are now 21-17, 7-6 and move to 3-1 in extra-inning games this season. The Tribe falls to 17-17, 7-6.

Graduate student Justin Showalter started for the Dukes and went 6.1 innings, scattering three hits and giving up two runs with a pair of strikeouts. Redshirt junior Eli Ottinger earned the win with a scoreless tenth inning of work. Classmate Trevon Dabney led the team at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a double.

How It Happened
The Dukes got on the board first, scoring a run in the second inning on a fielding error and another in the third on a Carson Bell single to lead 2-0. Redshirt Kyle Novak led off the third with a double and came around to score, marking the 35^th straight game he has gotten on base which is the longest on-base streak on record in program history. The Tribe then scored their first run of the game in the fourth on a solo shot to trail 2-1.

William & Mary added three more runs in the seventh to take a 4-2 lead. The Dukes responded in the eighth, beginning the comeback as redshirt sophomore Mason Dunaway singled to lead off, moved to third on freshman Ryan Dooley's single, and then scored on a safety squeeze by freshman Jason Schiavone.

Sophomore Joe Vogatsky came in and worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth, retiring the next three batters with a pair of strikeouts and a fly out to preserve the one-run deficit. Freshman Fenwick Trimble led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, with classmate Bryce Suters replacing him at first. The return was quickly seen, as he went first to third on a single up the middle from Dunaway, and then scored to tie the game at four on a sacrifice fly from Dooley.

In the top of the tenth, a huge strikeout from Ottinger got the Dukes out of a jam as the Tribe put runners on second and third. JMU's leadership came through in the home half of the inning, as four redshirt juniors gave the Dukes the win. Nick Zona led off with a single and moved to second on Dabney's sacrifice bunt. Novak then drew a walk to bring Reifsnider up, who took a 2-1 pitch and smashed it off the right field wall to score Zona and give the Dukes the 5-4 win.

Game Notes

The two teams combined to leave 24 runners on base, as the Tribe left 11 and the Dukes 13.
The last time the Dukes won a game after trailing through eight innings was May 2, 2021 in the first game of a doubleheader with Saint Joseph's that saw Travis Reifsnider also hit the walk off hit.

Up Next
The two teams square off for the middle game of the series at Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday, April 23 at 4 p.m.