#23 Dukes Defeat Long Beach State in Extras, Stumble to Louisiana Tech

Saturday, February 10

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

6 P.M.

James Madison University

3-1

Long Beach State

4-1

James Madison

Long Beach State

#23 Dukes Defeat Long Beach State in Extras, Stumble to Louisiana Tech

2/11/2018 12:43:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score - Game 1 Box Score - Game 2 2018 Schedule

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO – No. 23 James Madison softball (3-2) knocked off Long Beach State 6-4 in 10 innings before stumbling to Louisiana Tech 3-2 to close out the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge on Saturday evening.

GAME ONE – LONG BEACH STATE

Sophomore Odicci Alexander earned the victory in the circle against LBSU to improve to 1-1. She pitched 3 1/3 innings allowing just one run on one hit and walked one while striking out three.
Morgan Tolle led the Dukes at the plate going 2-for-5 with one RBI.
Alexander had an RBI single to put the Dukes on the board first in the third inning.
Long Beach would capitalize on two fielding errors in the bottom of the fifth to equalize the score at one all.
In the top of the seventh, the Dukes took a two run lead after senior Ashley Samuels hit a two RBI home run over the center field wall.
Long Beach didn't back down as they scored two in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game back up to forc extra innings.
Three RBI singles up the middle (Tolle, Jessica Mrozek, Kate Gordon) proved to be the difference maker in the tenth inning for the Dukes. Long Beach would score one in the bottom of the inning but a fly out to left center sealed the victory for the Dukes after two and a half hours on the field.

GAME TWO – LOUISIANA TECH

The Dukes came out of the gates strong as Tolle hit a lead-off home run over the left field wall to give JMU an early 1-0 lead.
Alexander hit an RBI single to left field in the third with runners on the corners to extend the Dukes lead, 2-0.
Louisiana Tech answered with a 2 RBI single in the bottom of the third to tie the game up at 2-2.
The Techsters had the bases load with one out in the sixth inning but an interference call and a line-out double play shut down the threat.
The Dukes had a chance in the top of the seventh as freshman Sara Jubas rounded third to come home after a single to right field from Madison Naujokas but Jubas couldn't beat the throw home and snagged the third out.
An RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the seventh with two outs would give the Techsters the win to end the game.
Freshman Payton Buresch (2-1) took the loss in the circle after pitching 1 1/3 innings allowing one run on one hit, facing seven batters.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Alexander, Tolle and Buresch earned a spot on the All-Tournament team after their stellar showing on the field this week at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. Alexander went 2-for-3 at the plate with one homerun and three RBI. Her performance in the circle was also strong as she went 1-1 with 17 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings. Tolle led the team at the plate going 3-for-6 with a home run and five RBI. Buresch, who was also named Co-Tournament MVP had a 0.71 ERA throughout the tournament, allowing five runs on 13 hits, striking out 15 over 19 1/3 innings.

QUOTING COACH LAPORTE
"We played a lot of hard-fought softball today, just a couple key moments here and there made the difference in both games. I was proud of the way we battled back against Long Beach State, we had faith that we could get something going on offense and that energy turned into results. It's always tough to lose a game in the bottom of the seventh like we did against Louisiana Tech, but I am proud of our girls' effort as they never backed down. This tournament showed us the areas we need to polish up and we are ready to get back home to practice before we hit the road again next weekend."

UP NEXT
The Dukes travel south to Buies Creek, N.C. to face Bucknell and Morehead State on Feb. 17; competition is slated to begin at 11:30 a.m.