Georgia State 4, JMU 2

Starter Ben Marshall limited James Madison to one run over six innings and first baseman Brandon Williams went 3-for-3 with two RBIs to lead Georgia State to a series-clinching 4-2 win in the middle game of a Colonial Athletic Association baseball game Saturday afternoon at the GSU baseball complex.

GSU improved to 11-13 overall and 4-1 in the CAA.  JMU lost its program-record 12th game in a row to fall to 5-17-1 for the season.  The Dukes also dropped to 0-8 in the CAA, 0-7 in road games and lost its third consecutive league series for the first time since 2007.

Marshall scattered seven hits in six innings of work to allow just one run while striking out four.  Aidan McLaughlin put a hold on the Dukes with two hitless innings of relief before Jake Dyer threw the ninth to post the save.

Williams posted an RBI single in the first and added an RBI double in the third to state the Panthers to an early lead they would not relinquish.  A two-run single in the eighth by designated hitter Joey Wood padded the lead.  Third baseman Drew Shields was 2-for-4 with a run scored.

The Dukes couldn’t cash in on numerous chances in the game, stranding 14 runners on the bases and going 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Madison left runners on second and/or third base in every inning but the eighth

Freshman Patrick Toohers (Florham Park, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) was the hard-luck loser for the second straight outing after allowing two runs on six hits in six innings.

Junior center fielder Cole McInturff (Centreville, Va./Westfield) was 3-for-4 with a walk for JMU.  Junior second baseman Casey Goss (Springfield, Mo./Glendale) and senior designated hitter Evan Scott (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) also had a pair of hits in JMU’s 10-hit attack.

GSU seemingly put the game away by loading the bases with one out in the eighth.  After a pop up, Wood singled to left to score two runs with a third runner retired at the plate to end the inning.

However, the Dukes still came close to tying the game in the ninth.  After a McInturff single and a fielder’s choice, another single by Goss put two runners on and a single by Scott made it 4-2.  Two runners moved to scoring position on a passed ball.  Freshman shortstop Chad Carroll (Oakton, Va./Oakton) hit a liner up the middle that could have scored both runners to tie the game, but Dyer snagged the drive on the fly to end the game.

The series finale will be Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.