Butler Powers Dukes to Pair of Sunday Wins at Gamecock Invitational

Sunday, February 25

Columbia, S.C.

10 a.m.

James Madison University

9-4

South Alabama

10-4

James Madison

South Alabama

Butler Powers Dukes to Pair of Sunday Wins at Gamecock Invitational

2/25/2024 4:35:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Reed Butler clubbed two home runs to help James Madison softball defeat South Alabama and UMass on the final day of the Gamecock Invitational Sunday afternoon.

JMU (10-4) opened the day with a 4-2 win over South Alabama and concluded its weekend in South Carolina with a 6-2 victory over UMass. With their respective losses, the Jaguars fell to 10-4 and the Minutemen dropped to 3-11.

Starting pitchers Kirsten Fleet and Payton List – both newcomers – allowed just three earned runs in 12.1 innings of work as the Dukes finished the weekend only allowing 12 earned runs in five games (2.40 ERA). List worked 6.1 innings versus USA, striking out three, while Fleet completed 6.0 innings against UMass, striking out a career-high nine batters. Alissa Humphrey closed both games for JMU, striking out two batters in 1.2 innings.

Butler led the Dukes at the plate on Sunday, finishing 3-of-8 with two home runs and four RBI, while outfielder Kate Carrier picked up three hits in four at-bats (.750) and worked a walk.

HOW IT HAPPENED
James Madison 4, South Alabama 2

Bella Henzler walked, Jasmine Hall singled through the left side, and Butler homered to give JMU a 3-0 lead in the first three batters.
List worked around trouble in the bottom of the first inning, as Isabelle Fishman threw out a Jaguar runner at the plate to end the scoring threat.
Fishman then led off the fourth with a double before a fielder's choice and walk loaded the bases with nobody out for Jasmine Hall. A sacrifice fly by Hall brought home Fishman, which made the score 4-0 in the top of the fourth.
The Dukes got two runners on in the fifth, but a flyout from Hallie Hall ended the inning.
USA got on the board in the bottom of the seventh with a wild pitch and sacrifice fly, but Humphrey induced a pair of flyouts to end the game.

James Madison 6, UMass 2

Henzler and J.Hall led off the game with a single and a walk, and KK Mathis scored Henzler on an RBI single to make the score 1-0 in the first.
JMU padded its lead to 3-0 in the fourth on an RBI single from Lexi Rogers before H.Hall scored on a fielder's choice.
Carsen Sanders worked a walk to lead off the sixth – her first at-bat of the season.
Carrier then picked up her second hit of the day, followed by an RBI single from H.Hall to push the Dukes' lead to 4-0.
UMass designated player Sarah Keagy worked a 10-pitch walk to kick off a rally, as a pair of runs scored on a wild pitch and an error.
JMU got those runs back in the seventh as Butler homered and Carrier brought home Madison Edwards on a sharp single to right field.

GAME NOTES

Carsen Sanders and Lauren Fulton both notched their first at-bats of the 2024 season in the win versus UMass.
JMU moved to 2-1 all-time against South Alabama and 1-0 against UMass.
With five RBIs this weekend, Butler's season total of 18 RBIs has surpassed her previous career high (13, 2023). The redshirt senior also tied her career-best season total in home runs (5).

UP NEXT
JMU will head to the desert for the ASU Invitational, hosted by Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. The Dukes will face Omaha, Arizona State, UC San Diego, and North Florida on March 1-3.