James Madison Wins Game 2 Arkansas State 11-10 In 11 Innings
James Madison got a much-needed and dramatic win in 11 innings by defeating Arkansas State 11-10. The Dukes were down to their last strike when Clay Thompson hit a game-tying two-run home run. They improved to 12-13.
At 4 hours and 40 minutes, this was the longest game of the season, by far, for James Madison. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Dukes, and evened their conference record at 4-4. The Red Wolves have the same conference record with the loss. Do you think JMU will capitalize on the momentum from this game and go on a winning streak?
James Madison and Arkansas State Scoring Summary
This was a busy game, with a bunch of runs scored. A few were dramatic in nature. Here is how the scoring in the game played out.
In the first inning, Arkansas State grabbed a 4-0 lead when Derek Martinez hit a grand slam. Lane Walton, Carson Campbell, and Evan Griffis all scored. JMU tied the game with four runs of its own in the second inning. Jack Cannizzaro hit a sacrifice bunt, and Wyatt Campbell scored. Then Josiah Seguin hit a three-run home run. Ben Barrow and Kyle Langley both scored.
In the third inning, AJ Mustow hit a two-run home run, and Adam Houseworth scored. In the fourth inning, Arkansas State took an 8-4 lead. Patrick Engskov first grounded out, and John Henry Williams scored. Then, Walton singled, and Joey McLaughlin III scored.
In the fifth inning, James Madison got a run back when Ike Schmidly hit a home run. However, Arkansas State answered in that inning and got that run back as Martinez singled and Houseworth scored.
In the sixth inning, James Madison got another run back when Cannizzaro grounded out, and Clay Thompson scored. But, Arkansas State got that run back as well. Adam Houseworth was hit by a pitch, and Patrick Engsov scored.
James Madison scored in the eighth, ninth, and eleventh innings. In the eighth inning, Campbell hit a two-run home run. Jack Guerrero scored. It was 10-8. In the ninth inning, there was another two-run home run. Down to his last strike, Thompson hit a two-run home run, and Recce Moody scored. In the eleventh inning, Guerrero hit a game-winning double, and Ike Schmidly scored.
Player Of the Game
The player of this game was Thompson, who hit a dramatic last strike two-run home run to send the game to extra innings. Thompson was 2-of-6 in the game with two runs scored and 2 RBI. His home run may have been the biggest hit of the Madison season.
Honorable mention for the Dukes goes to Guerrero, who won the game with a run-scoring double in the eleventh inning. For Arkansas State, Martinez hit a first-inning grand slam. He had 5 RBI.
Turning Point
The turning point of this game was the two-run home run for Thompson. That swing reversed a horrible series for the Dukes, and it became somewhat inevitable that James Madison would prevail. It is a little surprising to think that it took eleven innings to do it, but it did. That was definitely the turning point of the game, and it may have been the turning point of the season.
Frequently Asked Questions
James Madison defeated Arkansas State 11-10 in 11 innings on a walk-off double by Guerrero. The player of the game, however, was Thompson, who hit a dramatic two-run home run to tie the game in the ninth inning. He was down to his last strike when he did it. These two teams played again on Sunday in the rubber game of this series. The game is a quick turnaround, and it’s at 1 p.m.
Parting Shots
James Madison needed to win this game. They had lost 5 games in a row, and this win was dramatic, to say the least. It was also an important win because this is a Sun Belt Conference series, and JMU did not want to fall to 3-5 in the conference.
