HARRISONBURG, Va. – The ULM baseball team (8-9, 0-1 Sun Belt) fell to James Madison (6-11, 1-0) on Friday (March 14) afternoon at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Va.
 
With one out in the top of the first, Bryce Blaser lined a pitch to right field for ULM's first hit of the afternoon. Landon Grigg retired the Dukes in order to complete a scoreless first inning. Jake Haggard singled to left field with two away in the second for ULM's lone base runner. After a leadoff walk and a bunt single for JMU, catcher Jack Cannizzaro laid down a bunt that was misplayed by the Warhawks and led to the game's first run. JMU power hitter Corey Dowdell doubled to right field and increased the Dukes' lead to two. Grigg escaped a bases-loaded jam and limited the damage by dealing a double play to keep ULM within two runs after two innings. After the ULM was retired 1-2-3 in the third, Henry Garcia Jr. robbed JMU's Ryan Dooley of an extra-base hit after making a leaping catch at the wall for the first out of the inning. Grigg recorded a pair of ground outs and wrapped up his third inning of work.

Blaser singled in his second consecutive at-bat to start the top of the fourth and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Isaiah Walker. After a ground out that moved Blaser to third, Garcia Jr. was hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners with two away. Following a Garcia Jr. steal, the Dukes escaped the inning by tagging Garcia Jr. out on a force out. Grigg worked around a walk and a runner in scoring position with his third scoreless inning in the fourth. JMU tacked on a run in the fifth from a sacrifice fly by Dooley. Michelle Artzberger and Garcia Jr. both walked to start a two-out rally in the top of the sixth for ULM. Jake Haggard delivered a two-out RBI ground-rule double to get the Warhawks on the scoreboard, scoring Artzberger. The Dukes answered with five runs in the bottom half of the inning generated by a Dowdell two-RBI double and RBI hits by Maddux Fleck and Eli Steadman and expanded the JMU cushion to 8-1.
 
Tony Lindwedel crushed the first pitch he saw in the top of the seventh inning over the left field fence for his first ULM home run. JMU's Coleman Calabrese singled to center field and pushed the Dukes' lead back to seven. The Dukes added another run in the eighth on a ULM fielding error. Jacob Billings and Isaiah Walker each had an RBI base hit in the top of the ninth inning for the Warhawks, but the Dukes secured the final outs and took game one, 10-4.

Blaser and Haggard both registered a pair of hits while Billings, Walker and Lindwedel each added one to total eight hits for ULM. The Warhawks left nine runners on base and committed four errors in the field that led to a pair of unearned runs. Grigg took the loss after going five innings and giving up four earned runs on four hits, four walks and one strikeout. Zach Shaw pitched two-thirds of an inning and recorded a strikeout. Adam Tubbs also tossed two-thirds of an inning and Holden Hess did not allow an earned run in 1.2 innings.

Due to forecasted inclement weather on Sunday, JMU and ULM will play in a doubleheader tomorrow (March 15) beginning at 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT from Harrisonburg.