CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Home runs from sophomore Emily LeGrand and freshman Mia Tribul powered James Madison softball to a split of games on the final day in Chapel Hill, taking down Elon, 13-4, before falling to North Carolina, 11-3, at Eugene A. Anderson Stadium.
LeGrand homered in both at-bats against Elon, both three-run dingers to end the game with a total of six RBI. Tribul used one swing to score all of JMU’s runs against the Tar Heels, connecting for her first career homer.
Against Elon, Taylor Johnson pitched four innings of relief to earn the win in the circle. She allowed just one hit and one walk without allowing a run, adding a strikeout.
How It Happened
JMU 13, Elon 4
• The Dukes struck early as redshirt junior Payton List opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning, a milestone swing that marked the 100th hit of her JMU career.
• LeGrand extended the lead to 5-0 with her first homer of the game, a three-run shot to center in the fifth inning.
• An infield single from freshman Emma Jo Evans three batters after LeGrand made the score 6-0 for the Dukes in the fifth.
• Elon came within two after the sixth inning, scoring twice in each of the fifth and sixth innings to make it 6-4.
• JMU created separation to seal the victory with a seven-run seventh inning. Graduate Kylee Gleason, sophomore Cali Legzdin and List all brought in a run each, ahead of LeGrand’s second three-run homer of the game. Junior Madison Edwards capped the inning off with a solo shot to follow LeGrand for back-to-back home runs.
UNC 11, JMU 3
• UNC pushed out to a 5-0 lead after three innings.
• Mia Tribul crushed a three-run home run to left field in the fourth inning — her first as a Duke — to cut the Tar Heels’ to two.
• The Tar Heels responded with four runs in the home half of the fourth to make the score 9-3, before adding a run in the fifth to end the game via the run rule.
Game Notes
• List’s home run marker her 100th hit of her career, earning her spot as the 45th Duke to do so.
• List joined redshirt junior Bella Henzler and Gleason as active Dukes with 100 career hits.
• LeGrand’s homers were the first of her JMU career.
• Junior Allie Braly made her first appearance in the circle as a Duke.
Up Next
The Dukes will be back on the diamond in Clearwater, Fla. for the Shriner’s Childrens Clearwater Invitational on Feb. 13-15. JMU will face No. 4 Tennessee on Feb. 13, No. 1 Texas Tech on Feb. 14 and both No. 11 Texas A&M and FAU on Feb. 15.
— JMU Athletics —
