James Madison Wins 4-2 Against Michigan State

James Madison defeated the Michigan State Spartans 4-2. The Dukes evened their record for the season at 5-5. The Spartans fell to 3-6 on the season.

The game between Michigan State and James Madison was more about the pitching than the hitting. This early in the season, that is the way it should be. However, most of the games played by the Dukes this season have been high scoring.

Michigan State and James Madison Scoring Summary

There is not much to do in this game as far as scoring goes. The big story of the game was the excellent pitching. That said, here is how the runs were scored. In the third inning, the Dukes started the scoring with two runs. Josiah Seguin and Ike Schmidly both singled and drove in runs. Taken together, the runs meant a 2-0 lead for the Dukes.

Michigan State scored single runs in the fourth and seventh innings. In the fourth inning, Parker Pikot singled and drove in a run. In the seventh inning, Jason Oliver singled in a run. That tied the game at two, and it stayed that way until the ninth inning when Wyatt Campbell hit a go-ahead home run.

Michigan State and James Madison Pitching

The bigger story in this game was the outstanding pitching. For James Madison, Tyler Lutz pitched 5 innings and had 7 strikeouts, both season highs, while allowing just 1 hit, 1 walk, and an unearned run.

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. It was a shame Lutz did not earn a decision. It is this reason that wins do not matter that much. Paul Skenes won the National League Cy Young Award last season and was just 10-10.

For the Spartans, Logan Pikur pitched 6 strong innings. The Spartans only used two pitchers. Gannon Grundman pitched the other three innings. He pitched well, but gave up the game-winning home run.

Player Of the Game

The player of this game was Campbell. He hit the walk-off two-run home run to break a 2-2 tie in the ninth inning. Campbell had only one hit, but it was a big one.

Turning Point

That home run was also the turning point of the game. Both teams were stuck in the low-scoring affair, with the hitters being foiled by good pitching. Then Campbell hit the home run.

Frequently Asked Questions

James Madison defeated Michigan State in this game in nine innings, 4-2, on a late home run. That home run was hit by Campbell. That dramatic home run was also the turning point for the game, which persisted in a 2-2 tie for several innings. James Madison plays at George Mason at Veterans Memorial Park.

Parting Shots

It was good for James Madison that they were able to beat a school from the Big Ten Conference. It was also good for them that with the win, they were able to even their record at 5-5.

The pitching was very good in this game, in particular the performance of Lutz. Maybe that pitching performance will bode well for the rest of the season for the Dukes.