Southern Miss
20-23, 7-8
James Madison
20-21, 6-10
Softball Falls to JMU in Series Opener
4/17/2025 7:39:00 PM | Softball
Both teams capitalized on defensive miscues, with four Golden Eagle runs coming as a result of two JMU errors. A total of seven batters were hit by pitches in the game.
Southern Miss jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Dukes responded with five unanswered runs and extended their lead with seven combined across the fifth and sixth innings to end the game early.
JMU was led by a combined performance in the circle from Payton List and Kirsten Fleet. List earned the win after tossing 95 pitches through four innings and Fleet earned her second save of the season. Jana Lee took the loss, while Olivia Christian and Kayla Giardina pitched in relief.
Carrie Green and Shelby Allen each recorded a hit for Southern Miss. In her first plate appearance, Green drove a ball to the outfield that led to three Golden Eagles scoring on a Dukes error.
JMU answered with two runs in the second and tied the game in the third on an RBI single by Reed Butler. Christian entered in relief, inheriting two runners, and allowed Butler to score on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly later in the frame increased the Dukes' lead.
Southern Miss briefly narrowed the deficit to one in the fifth when Faith Kivett came home on a throwing error. However, JMU broke the game open with a three-run homer by Madison Edwards the following frame.
The Dukes added four more runs in the sixth to close it out, starting with a two-run shot by Butler, followed by a run scored on an error, and a final RBI triple from Raegan Wall.
Freshman Hannah Christian's 15-game hitting streak was snapped in the loss, marking the longest hitting streak by a freshman in program history.
Kayce Bennett and Lee each drew two walks. Lee now has 12 walks in conference play, tied for the second-most in the Sun Belt.
Up Next
Southern Miss looks to rebound in a rematch against JMU tomorrow at 4 p.m. CT.
For the latest information on Southern Miss Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB) and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: List,Payton (8-6)
L: Lee, Jana (8-9)
S: Fleet,Kirsten (2)
Batting:
SH: Christian, Hannah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fox, Mikaila 1 ; Kivett, Faith 1 ; Weeks, Maddie 1 ; Lee, Jana 1
SB: Christian, Hannah 1
CS: Green, Carrie 1
HBP: Christian, Hannah 1 ; Fox, Mikaila 1
Batting:
2B: Legzdin,Cali 1
3B: Wall,Raegan 1
HR: Butler,Reed 1 ; Edwards,Madison 1
RBI: Butler,Reed 3 ; Edwards,Madison 5 ; Wall,Raegan 1
SH: Gleason,Kylee 1
SF: Edwards,Madison 1
Base Running:
RUNS: List,Payton 1 ; Gleason,Kylee 1 ; Butler,Reed 2 ; Hall,Jasmine 3 ; Legzdin,Cali 3 ; Edwards,Madison 2
SB: Legzdin,Cali 2 ; Wall,Raegan 1
HBP: Hall,Jasmine 1 ; Legzdin,Cali 1 ; Wall,Raegan 1 ; Romero,Lily 2
