Five-Run Eighth Aids Maryland in Toppling Dukes

Tuesday, March 19

College Park, Md.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

13-8

Maryland

16-5

James Madison

Maryland

3/19/2024 7:20:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – James Madison and Maryland were tied at four going into the eighth inning on Tuesday afternoon at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium, but a five-run inning for the Terps gave the hosts a 9-5 victory in non-conference baseball.

The Dukes dropped to 13-8 in the campaign, having fallen now in five of the last seven. The Terrapins improved to 16-5 as they head into their first Big Ten Conference series.

At the plate, graduate Brendan O'Donnell led JMU by going 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and two runs scored. Junior Casey Smith started on the mound and went a career-high tying six innings, while striking out three and allowing four runs (two earned).

How It Happened
First Inning
A pair of solo jacks got the Dukes on the board first as sophomore Mike Mancini led off the game with a homer. Three batters later, redshirt senior Mason Dunaway went yard for a 2-0 lead.

Third Inning
Junior Jason Schiavone upped the JMU lead to 3-0 as he knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly.

The Terps responded with four runs in the home half, scoring on three consecutive plate appearances. After loading the bases, UMD used a sacrifice fly, a single and a double coupled with an error to take a 4-3 lead.

Fourth Inning
Schiavone knocked in O'Donnell for a second time, bringing the graduate home on a groundout to tie the game at four.

Eighth Inning
A leadoff walk began a five-run inning for UMD, using a bunt single to score the go ahead run before a grand slam broke the game open at 9-4.

Ninth Inning
Schiavone recorded his second consecutive three-RBI game with a solo shot to lead off the ninth and make the score 9-5.

Game Notes

Mason Dunaway and Jason Schiavone have both homered in back-to-back games now.
The Dukes have now scored 35 runs in the first inning this season for a +22 run differential.
Thirty-one homers have been hit this season by JMU with 22 of them being solo shots. Of the 22 solo homers, nine have been leadoff homers.

Up Next
JMU welcomes Texas State for its first Sun Belt Conference series at Veterans Memorial Park this season. The series is on March 22-24, with the opener on Friday beginning at 4 p.m.