HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison and App State combined for 29 runs, but it was the Mountaineers that came out on top, 19-10, on Saturday afternoon in Sun Belt Conference baseball at Veterans Memorial Park.
The Dukes fell for the sixth consecutive game and dropped their record to 16-21 (6-11 Sun Belt), while the Mountaineers improved to 21-16 (9-8 Sun Belt).
Junior Kyle Langley, sophomore Reece Moody and freshman Cameron Aycock each went 3-for-5 with two runs scored at the plate to help lead JMU. Moody added an RBI while Aycock and Langley chipped in two RBI, and Aycock and Moody each recorded a double. Redshirt sophomore Clay Thompson also tied his career high in RBI with three.
How It Happened
First Inning
App State scored the first run of the game on a single, before loading the bases and scoring a run on four consecutive plate appearances to take a 5-0 lead.
The JMU response was a Thompson double, his 15th of the season, to knock in junior Kyle Langley.
Second Inning
The Mountaineers connected on six base hits, scoring four runs to take a 9-1 lead.
JMU answered with five runs before its first out, beginning with a single off the bat of senior Jack Cannizzaro with bases loaded. Aycock then doubled in two runs to precede back-to-back singles from Moody and Langley that scored a run each.
Fourth Inning
Moody’s third hit of the game but runners on first and third, setting up Aycock to score on a wild pitch to make the score 9-7. Thompson then made it a one-run game by bunting in Moody two batters later after a bunt base hit from Langley moved Moody to third.
Sixth Inning
A two-run double and back-to-back-bases-loaded hit by pitches scored four runs for App State to take a 13-8 lead.
Langley and Thompson hit back-to-back singles that scored a run each to get JMU in double figures.
Seventh Inning
Kameron Miller led off the inning with a homer to give App State a 14-10 lead.
Eighth Inning
The lead was extended by three by the Mountaineers on a two-run homer from Steven Smith and an RBI groundout.
Ninth Inning
Two runs were added to the lead as App State went ahead 19-10 on back-to-back singles.
Game Notes
Reece Moody stole his 29th base of the season, tying Mike Mancini (2024), Brent Metheny (2002) and Greg Miller (2000) for fifth most in a season at JMU.
The trio of Cameron Aycock, Kyle Langley and Reece Moody are the first JMU trio to have three hits each in a single game since May 24, 2024 against Old Dominion in the Sun Belt tournament. Fenwick Trimble and Brendan O’Donnell each had four and Wyatt Peifer recorded three.
Cameron Aycock tied his season high in hits, runs scored and RBI.
The Dukes tied their season best in hits, also having 15 against Le Moyne on Feb. 21.
Up Next
The Dukes close out the series with App State via a 1 p.m. first pitch tomorrow, April 19.
— JMU Athletics —
