HARRISONBURG, Va. (Interstat) — The James Madison Dukes erupted for eight runs in a chaotic fourth inning Friday evening, turning a pitchers’ duel into a rout and defeating the East Tennessee State Buccaneers 11-1 at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.

The game, played before 1,247 fans, was decisively swung in a single, relentless half-inning that saw 14 Dukes come to the plate. Entering the bottom of the fourth trailing 1-0, James Madison sent shockwaves through the park with a barrage of extra-base hits to seize control.

The offensive explosion made a winner of reliever Jaden Kinsler, who was stellar in relief. Kinsler entered in the top of the fourth and stifled the Buccaneers, tossing four shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out five. His performance stabilized the game after the Dukes’ offensive outburst and earned him top star honors for James Madison.

East Tennessee State had scratched across the game’s first run in the top of the fourth. Nate Conner led off with a triple to right field and scored when Mason Ault reached on a fielding error by James Madison shortstop Josiah Seguin.

That slim lead evaporated immediately and spectacularly. In the bottom of the frame, the Dukes’ rally began with a walk to Reece Moody and a double by Clay Thompson. After a pitching change, third baseman Jack Guerrero launched a three-run homer to right field, giving James Madison a 3-1 lead it would not relinquish.

The onslaught continued. Pinch-hitter Cameron Aycock doubled and later scored on a single by Jack Cannizzaro. Following a walk, Seguin atoned for his earlier error by blasting a three-run homer to left field, pushing the lead to 7-1. Ike Schmidly followed with a solo shot, marking back-to-back home runs. The inning continued with a triple by Moody, who then scored on a wild pitch to cap the scoring at nine runs for the frame, staking the Dukes to a 9-1 advantage.

James Madison added single runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Moody and a run-scoring single from Guerrero, who finished 2 for 4 with four RBIs. Seguin also drove in three runs on his pivotal home run.

The Dukes’ 12-hit attack overwhelmed an East Tennessee State pitching staff that issued seven walks and committed three errors. Buccaneers starter Tadan Bell was effective through three no-hit innings but was charged with two unearned runs in the fourth before the bullpen collapsed. Relievers Reid Brosnan and Cody Carwile combined to allow nine runs while recording just five outs.

East Tennessee State, which entered with a 9-3 record, managed only two hits total—the triple by Conner and a seventh-inning single by Ian Guanzon. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Buccaneers.

James Madison improved to 6-6, reaching .500 for the first time this season. The victory also defied pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had forecast a 7-5 East Tennessee State win and gave the Buccaneers a 59.4% probability of victory.

The two teams are scheduled to continue their three-game series Saturday afternoon.