NORFOLK, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison baseball managed to cut the deficit in half with a pair of home runs in the eighth inning but fell in its series finale with Old Dominion on Sunday afternoon, 6-3, at Bud Metheny Ballpark.

The Dukes dropped to 21-14, 7-8 Sun Belt while the Monarchs improved to 18-17, 7-8 Sun Belt. Despite the loss, JMU leads 11.5-6.5 over ODU in the TowneBank Royal Rivalry Challenge.

Junior Coleman Calabrese led the way at the plate for JMU by going 2-for-4 with a home run. Junior Casey Smith got the start on the mound and went 2.2 innings with three strikeouts.

How It Happened
Second Inning
A single following a walk put runners on the corners for ODU, as it trotted the first run of the game off of a JMU fielding error to score the leadoff runner.

Third Inning
A two-run homer from Luke Waters gave Old Dominion a 3-0 lead.

Fourth Inning
Maverick Stallings hit another two-run homer for the Monarchs to extend the lead to 5-0.

Sixth Inning
ODU tacked on a run on a sacrifice fly to make the score 6-0.

Eighth Inning
JMU cut the deficit in half with a pair of home runs by junior Fenwick Trimble and Calabrese. Trimble’s fifth homer of the season was a two-run shot and put the Dukes on the board, with Calabrese’s eighth long ball of the year making the score 6-3.

Game Notes
• The two homers hit by JMU were just the ninth and tenth home runs this season to be hit with JMU trailing.
• JMU fell to 0-3 in rubber matches this season.
• The Dukes stranded seven runners, five of which were in scoring position.

Up Next
The Dukes stay on the road in the Commonwealth as they travel to VMI on Wednesday, April 17 for a 6 p.m. first pitch.

— JMU Athletics —