Dukes Claim Series Against Eagles, Notch Spot in Sun Belt Conference Tournament

Friday, May 2

Harrisonburg, Va.

3 p.m.

James Madison University

25-24, 11-12

Georgia Southern

28-24, 12-11

Georgia Southern

James Madison

Kirsten Fleet, Abbie Campbell and Jasmine Hall

Dukes Claim Series Against Eagles, Notch Spot in Sun Belt Conference Tournament

5/2/2025 7:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. - A five-run first inning propelled James Madison softball to a 7-2 series-clinching victory against Georgia Southern on Friday evening at Veterans Memorial Park. With the victory, the Dukes also punched their ticket to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Troy, Ala. on May 7-9.

The series win is a league-best five straight, and something not accomplished by James Madison in its Sun Belt Conference tenure.

JMU (25-24, 11-12 SBC) hit the ground running, as a two-out hit parade put the Dukes up 5-0 in the bottom of the first, the most runs scored in a first inning in conference play for JMU this season.

Raegan Wall delivered the momentum-clinching knock, as she drove a ball to the left-center field gap for a two-run triple, pushing the Dukes to a 4-0 lead. The triple was Wall's team-leading third of the season, as she finished the ballgame with two hits, two runs scored, and her 19th stolen base of the year.

JMU chased Georgia Southern (28-24, 12-11 SBC) freshman pitcher Maddie Johnson out of the game after just 1.2 innings pitched, her shortest outing of the season. Johnson was handed her 10th loss of the season as she gave up six runs with five earned on seven hits while striking out just one batter.

The five earned runs tied for the most runs she has given up in a game all season, and the most in conference play. The right-hander previously gave up five earned runs against Harvard on Feb. 14.

Cali Legzdin notched a pair of RBI singles, including driving in the Dukes' first run of the day. It was the 13th multi-hit game for Legzdin as she extended her hitting streak to a career-long six games.

Abbie Campbell and Madison Edwards were responsible for the other JMU runs, as Edwards' sixth multi-hit effort of 2025 drove in the second run of the game and Campbell's single-season-best eighth double capped off the five-run inning.

The Eagles tried to climb back, scoring a run in the top of the second and fourth, but the tandem of Payton List and Kirsten Fleet shut down the Eagles' threat.

List earned her 11th victory in the circle as she went five innings while allowing two runs on three hits while striking out four. Fleet came on for the final two innings and kept Georgia Southern hitless, giving up just a walk and striking out one.

How It Happened
First Inning

Legzdin scored List from second on an RBI single to center to give the Dukes an early 1-0 lead
Madison Edwards made it 2-0 on another RBI single to center field
Wall delivered a two-run triple off the left-center field wall, increasing the JMU lead to four
Campbell capped off the five-run first inning with a double to right center to make it 5-0 Dukes

Top of the Second

Gracie Bellard singled to center field to bring around the first run for Georgia Southern, cutting the deficit to 5-1

Bottom of the Second

Legzdin delivered her second RBI single of the day, bringing the lead back to five, 6-1

Fourth Inning

Madi Gillespie notched the second run of the day for the Eagles on a sacrifice fly

Fifth Inning

Wall scored on a heads-up baserunning play, as Payton reached second on a walk to lead 7-2

Game Notes

James Madison is a game above .500 for the first time since March 11 and picks up its fifth win against Georgia Southern in the all-time series
With her first-inning hit on Friday, Payton List is nine hits away from 100 in her career and becoming the fifth active Duke to achieve the feat
List is also six strikeouts away from eclipsing 150 in her career and joining Fleet in that category
Wall moved to seventh all-time in stolen bases in a single season with 19, tying both Jasmine Butler (2011) and Megan Forbes (2009)
Three triples in a season for Wall is also tied for 10th all-time in single-season program history, last done by Taylor Newton in 2017
James Madison has clinched a spot in the SBC Tournament every year since becoming a member ahead of the 2023 season.
The five-run first marked the 19th inning of four-plus runs for the Dukes in 2025, as they are 14-1 when scoring six to nine runs in a ballgame.

Up Next
James Madison will wrap up its 2025 regular season on Saturday, May 1 at 10 a.m. as it plays host to Georgia Southern for senior day when 10 James Madison seniors will be honored for their contributions.