James Madison Wins 4-3 Against Marshall in a Sun Belt Conference Game

James Madison got a huge win tonight, 4-3, over a conference foe in the Marshall Thundering Herd. A noteworthy fact from this game was that the Dukes only used two pitchers. After jumping out to an early lead, it was their job to hold the lead. If the Dukes can win this home series, they have a good chance of turning their season around.

This game was a low-scoring one by college baseball standards. There were only seven runs scored in this game, when there seemed to be 15 or more runs scored in all James Madison games. Do you think this win will help turn the season around for the Dukes?

James Madison and Marshall Game Summary

James Madison jumped out to a 4-0 lead in this game in the first inning. Then, they did not score for the rest of the game. The game became an exercise in JMU holding on to its lead, and Marshall chipping away. The Thundering Herd scored a run in the second inning and then two runs in the sixth inning. That made the score 4-3, which was the final score of the game. It was good that Madison started this conference series against Marshall on the right foot. 

Great Pitching 

It was unusual for the Dukes to use only two pitchers in this game. Holden McKinney started this game and went five strong innings. He gave up six hits, but allowed only three runs. Oddly, he did not strike out any batters in his Herculean effort. However, he lasted longer than most starting pitchers for JMU.

Jaden Kinsler got the save for the Dukes. He pitched four innings. He was masterful. He only gave up one hit in four scoreless innings. He struck out two and did not walk anyone. This was his second save of the season. Although his earned run average of 5.23 is elevated.

With relatively few runs scored in this game, there were not a bunch of offensive stars. Reece Moody was 3-of-4 with a double. His good hitting performance raised his batting average to over .300 to .305. Kyle Langley was 2-for-3 with a walk. Ike Schmidly was only 1-for-4, but that one was a first-inning two-run home run. That scored half of the runs in the game.

Injuries In Baseball

One of the issues plaguing the James Madison baseball team this season has been injuries. Their best player, Shortstop Josiah Seguin, is currently injured and has missed long stretches of the season. He is a powerful hitter who plays a premium defensive position, so his absence is felt.

Also missing from this series is the starting pitcher from the last win. Tyler Lutz is currently balling with a sore shoulder. Several other key players have missed time this season. This has forced Madison Manager, Marlin Ikenberry, to juggle his lineup. While it is true that depth is an important indicator of the quality of a baseball team, it is also true that injuries and missing players weaken a team. This is particularly the case if those players are key players.

Schedule Analysis

James Madison plays the next two days against Marshall. They have a game on Tuesday against George Washington. The Dukes then have two conference series left, one against Southern Mississippi and one against Old Dominion. Those series are both three-game series. After that, the Sun Belt Tournament. Southern Mississippi is in second place in the conference, Old Dominion is in third from last place, right above JMU.