James Madison University’s baseball team lost to Appalachian State University, 14-10, in the series finale on April 19 at Veterans Memorial Park during Sun Belt Conference play.
The loss marks the seventh consecutive defeat for the Dukes, bringing their season record to 16-22 overall and 6-11 in conference games. Appalachian State improved its record to 22-16 overall and 10-8 in conference play.
Senior Jack Guerrero and junior Kyle Langley each matched career highs with three hits for James Madison. Guerrero went three-for-four with a walk, a run scored, an RBI, and two doubles. Langley was three-for-five with a run scored and two RBIs. Freshman Cameron Aycock also contributed by driving in a run during the second inning.
The game saw multiple lead changes early on. After Appalachian State scored first in the opening inning, James Madison responded with runs from Langley and junior Ike Schmidly to take an early lead. The Mountaineers regained control by sending ten batters to the plate in the third inning and scoring four runs for a 6-3 advantage.
Appalachian State extended its lead further in the fourth inning before senior Jack Cannizzaro hit his second home run of the season for James Madison. Relief pitcher Jaden Kinsler threw two-and-two-thirds scoreless innings while tying his season high of six strikeouts. The Dukes managed double-digit runs for back-to-back games after previously being shut out for the first time since 2015.
Looking ahead, James Madison will begin a five-game road trip starting Tuesday, April 21 at George Mason University.
