GREENVILLE, S.C. (JMU Athletics) – With one out and one on in the top of the ninth inning, senior Wyatt Campbell sent a 2-1 pitch off the batter’s eye to give James Madison baseball a 4-2 win over Michigan State on Sunday afternoon at Flour Field.
The Dukes evened their record at 5-5, while the Spartans fell to 3-6.
Junior Ike Schmidly and freshman Ryan Gocio each had a pair of hits, with Schmidly going 2-for-4 with an RBI and Gocio going 2-for-2 with a run scored.
On the mound, sophomore Adam Horvath earned his first win this season with a scoreless eighth and a strikeout while redshirt sophomore Luke McGrath picked up his second save of the year with a perfect ninth.
How It Happened
Third Inning
JMU broke the scoreless tie with a pair of singles from junior Josiah Seguin and Schmidly. Gocio singled and moved to second after junior Kyle Langley was hit by a pitch. Seguin’s single then scored Gocio and Schmidly’s Langley.
Fourth Inning
The Spartans tallied a run without a hit, as freshman Tyler Lutz’s lone run given up was unearned. MSU used a pair of errors and a wild pitch to get a runner to third before using a sacrifice fly to plate him.
Seventh Inning
With a runner on and two outs, Michigan State tied the game at two on a triple to center field.
Ninth Inning
Campbell pushed JMU in front with a 408-foot homer, connecting after redshirt sophomore Clay Thompson led off with a single. The blast had an exit velocity of 106 miles-per-hour and put the Dukes ahead 4-2.
Game Notes
• JMU went 2-1 over the weekend at the First Pitch Invitational, the first multi-team event for the Dukes during the regular season since 2017.
• Tyler Lutz tossed five innings and seven strikeouts, both season highs, while allowing just one hit, one walk and one unearned run.
• The Dukes last allowed three hits or less in a nine-inning game on May 2 last year at Georgia Southern.
• Reece Moody has reached base safely in all 10 games this season.
Up Next
The Dukes play eight of their next nine games at Veterans Memorial Park beginning on Tuesday, March 3 at 4 p.m. with a game against George Mason.
— JMU Athletics —
