Homers Propel Dukes Past Hofstra Twice

Saturday, April 28

Harrisonburg, Va.

2 P.M.

James Madison University

35-10, 14-2

Hofstra

35-9, 15-1

Hofstra

James Madison

4/28/2018 8:28:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 @JMUSoftball Photo Gallery Box Score - Game One Box Score - Game Two

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison softball produced 10 home runs on the day, breaking the program's single-game homer record with six during the first game, as it handed Hofstra its first two conference losses of the season, 9-8 and 6-3 before more than 1000 fans at Veterans Memorial Park Saturday.

JMU improved to 36-10 overall and 15-2 in Colonial Athletic Association play, while Hofstra fell to 35-10 overall and 15-2 in league play. JMU and Hofstra are tied for first place in the CAA.

Freshman Natalie Cutright tallied three homers on the day, while senior Morgan Tolle added two for a league-leading 15, boosting the Dukes to two victories.

With two batters on base, sophomore Kate Gordon knocked a huge bomb to right center to push the Dukes into a three-run lead that would conclude the second game of the day. Gordon was perfect at the plate going 2-for-2 and led the game with three RBIs.

In the bottom of the second inning, senior Jessica Mrozek hit her second long ball of the season, tying it up at 1-1 before freshman Sara Jubas adds her own homer to give the Dukes a 2-1 advantage. Jubas went 3-for-2 and drew a walk in the bottom of the sixth inning.

In the circle, freshman Payton Buresch improved to 16-4 on the season after pitching 2 1/3 innings of work, facing 11 batters and allowing three hits on no runs in the second game. Odicci Alexander improved to 20-5 in the circle after hurling 3 2/3 innings of work in the first game, allowing just one hit while fanning two.

Alexander helped her own cause at the plate, hitting a bomb during the bottom of the seventh inning to seal the first win of the day in walk-off fashion. The Dukes put runs on the board in all but the fourth inning, notching three runs in the second inning and two in the fifth.

Cutright registered her first homer of the day in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 2-all followed by a two-run dinger from senior Ashley Samuels to give the Dukes their first lead of the day.

BOMBS AWAY

The Dukes broke the single game record for home runs scored in a game after hitting six in the first win. The previous record was five homers in a game which was set on April 29, 2017 when Morgan Tolle (2), Megan Good, Ashley Samuels and Kate Gordon hit long balls in the 10-0 win over Drexel.
Tolle leads the league with 15 homers this season, and now places fourth in record book for career home runs with 31. After three hits today, Tolle moved into sole possession of third place in CAA history with a career 247 hits. She is now tied for fifth in career runs in the CAA with 148 after adding two today.
Natalie Cutright had two home runs coming into the series and put up the day's high of three dingers.
Kate Gordon broke into double digits and now has 10 homers on the season after only tallying three her freshman year.

HIGHLIGHTS

QUOTING COACH LAPORTE
"These wins weren't easy. Hofstra is a great team and they made us battle through every run. The girls read the ball really well today, which helped us produce the amount of home runs we did. I'm extremely proud of both Payton and Odicci for fighting through tough times in the circle to get the job done. Today, we played as a complete unit which is what you need to win tight ball games like these."

UP NEXT
The Dukes return to Veterans Memorial Park for the series finale against Hofstra April 29. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. after the Dukes hold a pregame senior ceremony.