SALEM, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison softball picked up a pair of wins on day two of the Hokie Invite, defeating Bryant 7–6 in eight innings before closing the day with a 5–3 victory over Penn State.
JMU (11-10) finished with seven runs on 10 hits against Bryant (7-10), walking off the Bulldogs in the bottom of the eighth on a Kylee Gleason RBI single.
Against Penn State (18-5), List tossed a complete game with 10 strikeouts while Bella Henzler and Kira Ortega hit home runs to power the Dukes to the win.
Henzler led the JMU bats in the two games, going a combined 5-for-7 (.714) at the plate with three home runs. The Dukes collected 18 hits and five home runs across the two contests.
JMU 7, Bryant 6 (8 innings)
• Bryant struck early, using a string of singles and a home run to plate multiple runs across the first two innings.
• JMU answered behind Henzler, who launched back-to-back home runs between the second and third innings to swing momentum to even the game at 4-4.
• A pair of doubles reclaimed a 6-4 lead for Bryant, but List launched a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to even the game at 6-6.
• Gleason ended the game in walk-off fashion, lining a single to right field that scored Emma Jo Evans and sealed the 7–6 victory.
JMU 5, Penn State 3
• Penn State opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning, but Henzler responded in the second with a solo home run to left field to even the game.
• The Nittany Lions regained the lead in the third before the Dukes surged ahead in the fourth. List sparked the rally with a single to right field and advanced on a throwing error that allowed Emily LeGrand to score. Moments later, a sacrifice fly to center field brought Henzler home to give JMU a 3–2 advantage.
• Ortega added insurance in the sixth inning with a solo home run to left-center field, and Henzler drove in another run in the seventh with a single to left.
• Penn State added a late run in the seventh, but the Dukes held on to secure the 5–3 win.
The Dukes will close out the Hokie Invite on Sunday morning against Radford, with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m.
— JMU Athletics —
