BRACKET | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
 
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — App State and James Madison advanced to semifinal Saturday at the 2024 Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship presented by Troy University in Montgomery, Ala., via elimination game victories in Day Four play.  
 
No. 6-seeded App State will need to defeat No. 2-seeded Southern Miss twice on Saturday to advance to the championship game—the same is true for No. 4-seeded James Madison against No. 5-seeded Georgia Southern. 
 
The Mountaineers and Golden Eagles will meet first at 9:00 a.m. CT, followed by the Dukes and Eagles at 12:30 p.m. CT. 
 
GAME 11 – No. 6 seed App State def. No. 3 seed Troy, 10-6
A seven-run seventh inning propelled App State to semifinal Saturday at the Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship for the second-straight season via a 10-6 victory over Troy. 
 
The teams combined for three hits through six innings—though the game was knotted at 3-3 at that point due to a bevy of walks and a two-run homer to right from App State senior designated hitter Xavier Moronta in the bottom of the fourth. 
 
Following a three-up, three-down top of the frame, the floodgates opened for App State in the bottom of the seventh. The Mountaineers registered six hits in the inning—all singles—and benefitted from four Trojan throwing errors en route to the seven spot to make it 10-3. 
 
After back-to-back fly outs to open the top of the ninth, Troy made a last-ditch effort to mount a comeback. A single by senior catcher Blake Sutton and a walk by senior shortstop Tremayne Cobb Jr. brought senior designated hitter Kyle Mock to the plate with two-on and two-out. Mock delivered a two-RBI double down the left field line, advanced to third on a single to right by senior third baseman Aidan Gilroy and came around to score on a wild pitch to produce the final 10-6 margin. 
 
Senior lefty Ryan Sleeper threw the final four innings in relief to pick up the win for the Mountaineers. 
 
Moronta went 3-for-3 with a double and a home run—the two extra-base hits on the day for App State—with two runs score and two RBI to lead the way offensively. Leadoff man junior shortstop Austin St. Laurent and senior outfielder Hunter Wilder also drove in a pair apiece. 
 
GAME 12 –No. 4 seed James Madison def. No. 8 Old Dominion, 15-5 
James Madison scored early and often in a 15-5 run-rule victory over in-state rival Old Dominion to advance to semifinal Saturday at the Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship for the first time ever—and to any conference semifinal for the first time since 2011. The victory was the 500th of head coach Marlin Ikenberry’s career. 
 
An RBI single to right field by junior catcher Jason Schiavone triggered a two-out rally for James Madison in the first. Sophomore third baseman Wyatt Peifer and senior outfielder Brendan O’Donnell sandwiched a hit by pitch with RBI singles to left to jump out to a 3-0 lead. 
 
With two-on and two-out in the bottom of the frame, none other than junior second baseman Maverick Stallings delivered a single through the left side to plate senior third baseman Kenny Levari—who reached on a two-out single. 
 
The Dukes tacked on two in the second, but the Monarchs answered again. Old Dominion sophomore catcher Evan Holman and leadoff man freshman designated hitter TJ Aiken drew two-out walks and junior shortstop Kyle Edwards singled home Holman to make it 5-2. 
 
After a scoreless third, James Madison junior outfielder Fenwick Trimble singled home junior designated hitter Ryan Dooley—who had reached on a double to left—to make it 6-2 Dukes. 
 
James Madison registered four hits—all singles—in the fifth and benefitted from three Monarch errors to score four and extend its margin to 10-2. After a leadoff triple from Edwards in the bottom half of the inning, Stallings again came through with a two-out single through the right side to avoid an empty frame. 
 
Trimble added his third and fourth RBIs of the day via a two-out, bases-loaded single to right in the top of the sixth, as the Dukes again extended their lead to 12-3. 
 
James Madison threatened to run-rule Old Dominion in the seventh, when an O’Donnell double to right center pushed the lead to 10, 13-3. The Monarchs extended the game with a two-out rally in the bottom half of the inning. Following singles by Stallings and junior outfielder Steven Meier, sophomore first baseman Alex Bouche came up with his first hit of the tournament at an opportune time—doubling in both runners to make it 13-5. 
 
The Dukes again extended their lead to 10 in the eighth, 15-5, and the Monarchs could not respond to force the ninth inning to be played. 
 
Senior lefty Donovan Burke earned the win for James Madison after striking out nine over 5.0 innings pitched in relief. 
 
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 21
Game 1 – No. 7 seed Coastal Carolina def. No. 10 seed Georgia State, 5-1 
Game 2 – No. 8 seed Old Dominion def. No. 9 seed South Alabama, 3-2
 
Wednesday, May 22
Game 3 – No. 3 seed Troy def. No. 6 seed App State, 6-5
Game 4 – No. 2 seed Southern Miss def. No. 7 seed Coastal Carolina, 5-0
Game 5 – No. 8 seed Old Dominion def. No. 1 seed Louisiana, 7-3
Game 6 – No. 5 seed Georgia Southern def. No. 4 seed James Madison, 12-4 
 
Thursday, May 23
Game 7 – No. 6 seed App State def. No. 7 seed Coastal Carolina, 6-3 
Game 8 – No. 4 seed James Madison def. No. 1 seed Louisiana, 10-9
Game 9 – No. 2 seed Southern Miss def. No. 3 seed Troy, 6-5 
Game 10 – No. 5 seed Georgia Southern def. No. 8 seed Old Dominion, 8-6 
 
Friday, May 24
Game 11 –No. 6 seed App State def. No. 3 seed Troy, 10-6 
Game 12 – No. 4 seed James Madison def. No. 8 seed Old Dominion, 15-5
 
Saturday, May 25 
Game 13 – No. 2 seed Southern Miss vs. No. 6 seed App State, 9:00 a.m. CT
Game 14 – No. 5 seed Georgia Southern vs. No. 4 seed James Madison, 12:30 p.m. CT
If Necessary – 4:00 p.m. CT
If Necessary – 7:30 p.m. CT
 
Sunday, May 26
Championship Game – 1:00 p.m. CT