Late Homer Downs Dukes in Finale with Georgia State

Saturday, March 30

Atlanta, Ga.

Noon

James Madison University

16-12, 3-6

Georgia State

15-12, 7-2

James Madison

Georgia State

3/30/2024 3:38:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

ATLANTA – In a slugfest with 15 combined runs, a two-run homer in the seventh inning from Georgia State downed James Madison, 8-7, on Saturday afternoon in the series finale at the GSU Baseball Complex in Sun Belt Conference baseball.

The Dukes dropped to 16-12 overall and 3-6 in Sun Belt action, while the Panthers improved to 15-12 (7-2 Sun Belt).

Sophomore Wyatt Peifer led the Dukes at the plate with a 2-for-4 showing, hitting a double, scoring a run and driving in a run. Graduate Donovan Burke got the start on the bump and went 4.2 innings, striking out four and giving up four runs.

How It Happened
First Inning
The first inning would set up the rest of the game, with five total runs from the two teams being scored. Sophomore Mike Mancini and junior Fenwick Trimble led off the game with doubles before junior Ryan Dooley drove both runs in on a single for a 2-0 lead.

Georgia State tied the game with four straight singles that scored two runs and then took the lead on a sacrifice fly.

Second Inning
The 12^th leadoff home run of the season for JMU tied the game, as graduate Brendan O'Donnell sent his ninth homer of the season over the center field wall. A squeeze bunt later in the inning from Trimble gave JMU the lead, 4-3, after a pair of singles.

Third Inning
A sacrifice fly after two singles and a double steal tied the game for the Panthers at four all.

Fifth Inning
Junior Jason Schiavone led the fifth off with a bunt single and was joined on the base paths by classmate Coleman Calabrese on a walk. Redshirt senior Jacob Steinberg then laced a double into the gap, scoring both runners and giving JMU a two-run lead. Peifer made the score 7-4 by trading places with Steinberg with a double of his own.

Sixth Inning
A two-run homer in the sixth brought the hosts within one run of the Dukes at a score of 7-6.

Seventh Inning
A leadoff walk set up Dylan Strickland to give Georgia State an 8-7 lead with a two-run long ball.

Game Notes

All but one starter for the Dukes recorded a hit.
Brendan O'Donnell's homer was the 43^rd of his career.
Joe Vogatsky tossed a season-high five strikeouts.
Mike Mancini and Jason Schiavone both extended their hitting streaks to 10 games. The last time a pair of Dukes had simultaneous 10-game hitting streaks was in 2021 when Conor Hartigan had a 16-game hit streak and Chase DeLauter had a 15-game hit streak. DeLauter eventually extended his hit streak to 17 games after Hartigan's ended at 16.
With Wyatt Peifer's 10-game hitting streak earlier in the season, it marks the first time since 2016 the Dukes have had three players string along a double-digit hitting streak in the same season.

Up Next
The Dukes remain on the road as they travel to Radford on Tuesday, April 2 for a 6 p.m. first pitch before welcoming App State to Veterans Memorial Park on April 5-7.