Dukes on Top in Slugfest to Take Series Opener

Thursday, May 16

Troy, Ala.

7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT)

James Madison University

31-20, 16-12

Troy

35-19, 17-11

James Madison

Troy

5/16/2024 11:13:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

TROY, Ala. – James Madison baseball and Troy combined to score 24 runs, but it was the Dukes who came out on top in the series opener by a score of 14-10 on Thursday night at Riddle-Pace Field. JMU also clinched a berth into the Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Baseball Championship presented by Troy University with the win.

The Dukes improved to 31-20 on the season, matching last season's win total, and 16-12 in Sun Belt Conference games. It is the most league games won by JMU since 2011. The Trojans fell to 35-19, 17-11 Sun Belt.

Junior Fenwick Trimble matched his career-high in hits, going 4-for-5 with a double, a homer, three runs scored and three RBI's. Classmate Todd Mozoki improved to 5-1 on the year behind four-plus innings of one-run ball, giving up one hit and striking out three.

How It Happened
First Inning
JMU jumped out to a lead two batters into the game. Junior Ryan Dooley drew a walk to begin the game and extend his reached base streak to 33 games right before Trimble hit his 34^th homer of his career for a 2-0 lead. He moved into a tie for seventh on the JMU career list.

Troy responded with three runs of their own, utilizing five singles with a double play to take a 3-2 lead.

Second Inning
The Trojans' lead was short lived, as Trimble tied the game on a single ahead of sophomore Mike Mancini plating two runs for a 5-3 lead on a triple down the right field line. His third triple of the season extended his hit streak to 10, marking the second time this season Mancini has had a double-digits hit streak.

Fifth Inning
A five-run inning broke the game open for the Dukes, as they loaded the bases with no outs to set up sophomore Wyatt Peifer to clear them with a double down the left field line. Two batters later, graduate Brendan O'Donnell hit his 15^th homer of the season for an 10-3 lead. O'Donnell became the first Duke since 2011 to have a 15-double, 15-homer season as he has also tallied 17 doubles in 2024.

Sixth Inning
After a leadoff walk by Dooley, Trimble put both runners in scoring position on a double. Peifer then drew a walk, but the fourth ball dribbled to the backstop to allow Dooley to score and make it 11-3.

Troy recorded their own bases clearing double, doubling their run output on one swing and made it 11-6.

Eighth Inning
Kole Myers hit a three-run homer to bring the hosts within two of the Dukes at 11-9.

Ninth Inning
Two doubles, one from junior Coleman Calabrese and one from pinch-hitting freshman Ike Schmidly, pushed three runs across for the Dukes to head into the final half inning with a 14-9 lead.

A solo shot from Tremayne Cobb Jr. allowed the Trojans to hit double-digits and make the score 14-10, but a grounder to first secured the opening win for JMU.

Game Notes

Each team left five runners on base.
The Dukes hit .455 (10-for-22) with runners on.
Two Dukes have now had a pair of 10+ game hit streaks each this season. Mike Mancini has the season's longest on the team at 13 games and now an active 10 games, while Fenwick Trimble had two 11-game streaks.
Trimble's 78 hits are the most in a single season by a Duke since Jake Lowery had 90 base knocks in 2011.
In addition to Trimble, Ryan Dooley and Brendan O'Donnell had three runs scored each as well. The latter two tie season and career highs for the stat.
Five Dukes had multi-RBI games, led by Trimble and Wyatt Peifer with three and joined by Mancini, O'Donnell and Ike Schmidly with two.