MONTGOMERY, Ala. (JMU Athletics) – Georgia Southern jumped out in front with four runs in the first inning, a deficit too large to overcome for James Madison baseball as it fell, 12-4, on Wednesday night at Riverwalk Stadium in the second round of the Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship presented by Troy University.

The Dukes dropped to 32-22 on the year while the Eagles improved to 31-25.

Sophomore Wyatt Peifer led the Dukes at the plate with a 2-for-3 showing, adding a stolen base. Freshman Jackson Logar set career-high marks for innings pitched (6.1) and strikeouts (12), with Logar’s 12 strikeouts the most since teammate Donovan Burke tossed 13 against Fairleigh Dickinson in 2022.

How It Happened
First Inning
GS had runners on the corners two batters into the game and scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch. After loading the bases, a two-run single and a groundout plated three more runs for a 4-0 lead.

Second Inning
The Eagles added two runs for a 6-0 lead on a double and a single.

Third Inning
Junior Fenwick Trimble and sophomore Mike Mancini traded places with each other by hitting back-to-back doubles to get JMU on the board. After a throwing error allowed Mancini to move to third, he would touch home plate on a wild pitch to make the score 6-2.

Fourth Inning
A two-out double for the Eagles added a run on the board to make it 7-2.

Seventh Inning
After a double from graduate Brendan O’Donnell followed by a single from redshirt senior Mason Dunaway, freshman Ike Schmidly stepped up to plate as a pinch hitter and drove in O’Donnell on a sacrifice fly to make it 7-3.

Eighth Inning
Junior Jason Schiavone cut the deficit to three runs as he homered for the 18th time this season to make the score 7-4.

Ninth Inning
Four JMU errors allowed five runs to score for the Eagles to increase their lead to 12-4.

Up Next
• Jackson Logar is the third Duke to toss 10 or more strikeouts in a game, joining Jaden Kinsler (11 at Coastal Carolina; March 15) and Donovan Burke (10 vs. Texas State; March 24).
• With Jason Schiavone’s long ball, the Dukes have homered now in 14 consecutive games.

Up Next
The Dukes will take on top-seeded and 21st ranked Louisiana in an elimination game on Thursday, May 23 at Riverwalk Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT and you can listen to the game on ESPN Harrisonburg (106.9 FM | 1360 AM) and on ESPNHarrisonburg.com.

— JMU Athletics —