SAN MARCOS, Texas – James Madison completed its 2025 campaign with a series win, knocking off Texas State in Sun Belt Conference baseball, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark to bookend the three-game series with wins.
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The Dukes finish 2025 at 17-38 (10-20) while the Bobcats fell to 26-29 (14-16 SBC).
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At the plate, freshman
Reece Moody led the way with a 2-for-4 showing with an RBI. Sophomore
Griffin Polley earned his first career win with a career-high 3.2 innings pitched in relief, allowing only four hits. Redshirt junior
Tyler Muscar tossed the final two innings, retiring all six batters he faced for his first career save.
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How It Happened
First Inning
Senior
Ryan Dooley led off the game with a single and junior
Wyatt Peifer followed with a hit by pitch. After a flyout moved both into scoring position, Moody singled in Dooley for the first run of the game. Peifer then scored to make it 2-0 after a wide pickoff attempt at third allowed him to score.
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Fourth Inning
Texas State recorded its first base hit of the game, getting a one-out double in the fourth. A single from Alan Shibley immediately followed to make it 2-1.
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Seventh Inning
Sophomore
Ike Schmidly drove a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall for his second homer of the season to add a run on the board and make it 3-1 for the Dukes.
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Game Notes
- The JMU pitching staff held Texas State to 6-for-31 hitting, lowering its opposing batting average to .262 for the season. That average ranks eighth in program history for a single season.
- Six strikeouts thrown by JMU increase its season tally to 447, moving into eighth in single-season program history.
- Texas State left 11 batters on base compared to the Dukes' six.
- For the first time since 2018, the Dukes have won their regular-season finale game.
- JMU moved this season to 4-2 in rubber matches.