Dukes Even Series and Notch First Sun Belt Win

Saturday, March 18

Harrisonburg, Va.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

12-8, 1-1

Coastal Carolina

11-6, 1-1

Coastal Carolina

James Madison

3/18/2023 5:25:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison baseball plated a pair of runs in the first inning and never looked back to take down Coastal Carolina, 8-3, for its first Sun Belt Conference win and to even the series on Saturday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Park.

The Dukes move to 12-8, 1-1 SBC while the Chanticleers fall to 11-6, 1-1 SBC.

Junior Ryan Murphy earned his third win of the season on the mound, going 5.2 innings and allowing three runs while scattering six hits. Sophomore Fenwick Trimble led the Dukes at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI.

How It Happened
First Inning
JMU got on the board first with a pair of runs, putting a pair of runners in scoring position with two down. Redshirt senior Trevon Dabney stepped up and laced a single into left field on the first pitch to plate Trimble and redshirt sophomore Mason Dunaway and make it 2-0.

Second Inning
Graduate Jaylon Lee led the inning off with a double before sophomore Jason Schiavone hit a ground-rule double two batters later to score him. Graduate Jack Cone then took the next pitch into center field, scoring Schiavone to double the lead to 4-0.

Fifth Inning
A pair of singles off freshman Mike Mancini and Lee plated two more runs for the Dukes. After redshirt senior Kyle Novak doubled and took third on a wild pitch, Mancini singled into center field to score him. Mancini then stole second and moved to third when the pitch he stole on got away from the catcher. Lee then found room through the left side for a 6-0 lead by scoring Mancini.

Sixth Inning
Coastal stopped the run with a two-run homer from Nick Lucky, followed by an RBI double from Zack Beach to make it 6-3 and cut the deficit in half.

Trimble blasted his seventh home run of the season in response in the home half of the sixth, bringing home Dunaway in the process and pushing the lead to 8-3.

Game Notes

Six of the eight JMU RBI's were recorded with two outs, as the Dukes as a team hit .417 (5-for-12) with two outs.
With runners on, JMU hit .438 (7-for-16) compared to CCU's .176 (3-for-17).

Up Next
The two squads will meet on Sunday, March 19 with the series on the line at Veterans Memorial Park for a 1 p.m. start. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.