HATTIESBURG, Miss. – James Madison used an eight-run second inning and a strong finish in the circle to open its Sun Belt Conference series at Southern Miss with a 15-9 victory on Thursday evening at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
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The Dukes (16-18, 4-6 Sun Belt) snapped a four-game skid after registering 13 hits on the day against the Golden Eagles (25-15, 6-4 Sun Belt), led by the quartet of
Payton List,
Bella Henzler,
Madison Edwards and
Kylee Gleason, who each had multi-hit outings.
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List was 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and six RBI and Henzler finished 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI. Edwards was 2-for-4 from the plate with a double and a pair of runs batted, while Gleason had a 2-for-3 clip with an RBI.
Kendra Lewis and
Cali Legzdin also produced doubles, as JMU's four tied a season high.
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Taylor Johnson delivered a steady final three innings and earned her first career save. Johnson allowed just two runs (one earned) while striking out one to secure the road win.Â
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For USM, Hannah Christian, Kinsley Gordon-Sivley and Kayce Bennett each had two hits to lead the offense.
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How It Happened:
- The Dukes opened the scoring in the first on Lewis' two-run double to right center.
- After a Southern Miss run in the first, JMU took full control with eight runs crossing home in the second.
- The frame was highlighted by Henzler's two-RBI single and List's three-RBI double to cap off the inning, giving JMU a 10-1 lead.
- Southern Miss answered with five runs in the bottom half, which included a two-RBI double by Adryan Cox.
- After a scoreless third, List stayed hot at the plate, blasting a three-run home run down the left field line, while Edwards added an RBI on a double, extending JMU's lead back to 14-6.
- Southern Miss never drew closer than six down the stretch.
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Game Notes:Â
- Madison Edwards is now eight hits away from 100 for her career.
- Kendra Lewis currently leads the Sun Belt in batting average, hitting .464 after today's matchup.Â
- JMU moved to 4-2 all-time against Southern Miss with the win, as Friday marked the most runs the Dukes have scored against USM and the 24 combined runs was the highest-scoring game in the six-game history.
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Up Next
The Dukes looks to carry the momentum against the Golden Eagles in game two of the of the series on Friday, April 3, which begins at 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT) on ESPN+.Â