Dukes Complete Five-Run Comeback to Open Weekend Series

Friday, February 24

Harrisonburg, Va.

3 p.m.

James Madison University

2-3

Cornell

0-1

Cornell

James Madison

2/24/2023 8:03:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. — After going down five runs to Cornell before coming to bat in the first, James Madison responded with 11 unanswered runs to open the series with a win, 11-5, on Friday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Park in non-conference baseball.

The Dukes move to 2-3 on the year, while the Big Red begin the 2023 campaign 0-1.

Freshman Kevin Scully earned his first career win behind three scoreless innings of relief, only allowing a hit and three walks while striking out two. Leading the way at the plate, sophomore Fenwick Trimble tied career-highs in hits and RBI's after going 3-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and four RBI's.

Redshirt junior Donovan Burke got the start for the Dukes, going three innings and striking out three while giving up five runs.

How It Happened
First Inning
Cornell used a pair of walks around a hit by pitch to load the bases with none down before a single followed by a fly out put the visitors up 2-0. Two batters later, Ryan Ross took a 3-1 pitch over the right field wall to extend the lead to 5-0 before ever touching the field on defense.

The Dukes were able to get a run back in the bottom half of the inning, as redshirt junior Mason Dunaway drew a one-out walk, stole second and then came home to score on a single from Trimble to make it 5-1.

Third Inning
Trimble provided the scoring once again in the third, as a pair of walks to classmate Coleman Calabrese and Dunaway set the Virginia Beach, Va. native up with two on and one down. Trimble then hit his first home run of the season to bring the score within one at 5-4.

Fourth Inning
The hosts used their own five-run inning to secure the lead and never look back. After freshman Mike Mancini and sophomore Jason Schiavone reached base on a single and a walk, respectively, Calabrese would load the bases on a dropped catch at first. Graduate Jack Cone proceeded to tie the game at five-all the next at bat with a single, followed by a sac fly off the bat of Dunaway for a 6-5 lead. Two batters later, Calabrese crossed the plate on a throwing error. Redshirt senior Kyle Novak then capped the inning with a two-run pinch hit single to make it 9-5, scoring Cone and classmate Trevon Dabney, who reached base on the throwing error.

Eighth Inning
The Dukes added a pair of runs to extend their lead to 11-5. After walks to Cone and Trimble, both runners would advance a base on a wild pitch and then move another base on a wide throw from the catcher which resulted into Cone scoring. Trimble would touch the plate the next at bat when Dabney laid down a sacrifice bunt.

Game Notes

JMU has scored in double figures in three straight games in the same season for the first time since the final three games of the 2018 season.
The 39 combined runs are the most in the first five games of a season for the Dukes since scoring 42 in the opening five games of the 2019 season.
The combination of Kevin Scully, Lliam Grubbs and Chase Hustead combined for six innings of scoreless relief pitching.

Up Next
The Dukes and the Big Red face off in the middle game of the series on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Veterans Memorial Park. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the Varsity App will be audibly streaming the game.