James Madison Wins 10-2 Against Conference Rival University of Louisiana Monroe
James Madison freshman pitcher, Tyler Lutz, got the first quality start of his career as he threw six and two-thirds innings while only giving up two earned runs. The Dukes were able to beat their conference rival, the University of Louisiana-Monroe, 10-2.
They won two of three games in Louisiana. An impressive feat, winning two of three conference games on the road.JMU should have won all three games in this series, but they won today. James Madison got some great hitting performances in winning this game.
The Dukes improved to 18-24 overall and to 8-13 in the Sun Belt Conference, while the Warhawks fell to 23-21 overall and to 10-11 in the Sun Belt Conference. Do you think they will be able to turn their season around?
James Madison and Louisiana Monroe Game Summary April 26
James Madison scored individual runs in the first, second, and third innings. Then they scored three runs in the fifth inning to take a 6-1 lead. They scored four runs in the tenth inning to get to the total of ten.
Louisiana-Monroe scored runs in the fifth and seventh innings, but those were only single runs. The Dukes won this game 10-2. Though there were twelve runs scored in this game, the game itself was fairly boring to describe.
Great Performances
James Madison had some great performances in the game. Lutz spun a quality start by pitching six and two-thirds innings while allowing only two runs. He struck out seven and walked nobody. He was backed up by Luke Alexander, who threw two and a third scoreless innings of relief.
There were also some good hitting performances from James Madison. Probably the best hitting performance was by Ike Schmidly, who continued his hot hitting by going four for four with a run batted in and a run scored. Jack Cannizzaro was three for four with a home run. He scored a run and drove in two. Wyatt Campbell was only one for four, but he did hit a home run.
For Louisiana-Monroe, Davis Mauzey was three for five. Garrett Weithorn, Kade Dupont, and Marcus Aranda were all two for four. Mauzey and Weithorn both drove in a run in the game. Nobody hit a home run for the Warhawks, but they did make six errors. The University of Louisiana-Monroe used four pitchers, none of whom pitched more than three and two-thirds innings.
What Is A Quality Start?
The requirements for a quality start are straightforward. A starting pitcher must pitch at least six innings. They must give up three runs or fewer runs at the start. It is usually the case that if a pitcher does that, they will win.
It is a very good sign for the Dukes that they have a freshman pitcher who is throwing the ball so well. James Madison has not had very many quality starts from their pitchers this season. They are a bit of a rarity in college baseball.
Taking Two Of Three On The Road Against A Conference Rival
With the win, James Madison won two out of three games on the road against their conference rival. We all keep waiting for the Dukes to turn their season around; maybe winning this road series will do the trick.
The season is getting short. The Dukes finish the month of April on the road, traveling to Virginia Tech on Tuesday, April 28, for a 6 p.m. first pitch. They have already lost to Virginia Tech this year, so this road game figures to be a tough test for them.
