Dukes Shut Out George Mason in Home Opener

Wednesday, February 23

Harrisonburg, Va.

3 p.m.

James Madison University

George Mason

2/23/2022 7:15:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison baseball used a five-run first inning in its home opener to get out to an early lead and never looked back as they shut out George Mason, 14-0, on Wednesday afternoon at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.

The Dukes move to 1-3, while the Patriots dropped their third straight to fall to 1-3.

Redshirt senior Liam McDonnell started for JMU and earned the win, tossing four innings of no-hit ball and striking out five. He only allowed two baserunners, a hit by pitch in the second and a leadoff walk in the fourth. At the plate, redshirt junior Travis Reifsnider led the Dukes as he went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a home run, and four RBI's.

How It Happened
JMU wasted little time getting the offense churning, as redshirt sophomore Chase DeLauter took the third pitch he saw over the center field wall for a 1-0 lead. The Dukes then loaded the bases on a double, a walk, and a single before Reifsnider hammered a ball to left field for a grand slam.

The Dukes added three runs in the second inning on a Fenwick Trimble sacrifice fly and a pair of singles from redshirt juniors Kyle Novak and Carson Bell to take a 8-0 lead after two. The Dukes continued their offensive onslaught by scoring two in the fifth inning, three in the sixth, and one in the seventh to lead 14-0 heading into the eighth.

Sophomore Ryan Murphy went four innings in relief of McDonnell, striking out four and scattering two hits, while graduate student Nick Stewart worked the ninth to give JMU its first shutout since Feb. 22, 2020 against Quinnipiac.

The win is the largest margin of victory since a 16-2 win over Rider on March 1, 2020 and the largest margin of victory in a home opener since a 37-7 win against Bucknell on Feb. 18, 2011.

Game Notes

Travis Reifsnider's grand slam was the first grand slam a Duke has hit in nearly three years. The last was off the bat of Brady Harju against College of Charleston on April 7, 2019.
Chase DeLauter reached base on five of six plate appearances, getting two hits and drawing five walks.
All nine starters for JMU reached base in the game, with eight scoring a run and seven recording a hit.
The attendance of 584 is the second largest home opening attendance at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.

Up Next
The Dukes open up a three-game series with Fairleigh Dickinson over the weekend as they continue a five-game homestand. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25.