James Madison University’s softball team began the Hokie Invite at Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia, with two losses on Friday. The Dukes lost 7-6 to Boston College and were shut out 7-0 by No. 11 Virginia Tech.
In both games, junior Kendra Lewis collected two hits each. Graduate student Kylee Gleason hit a home run during the first game against Boston College.
Redshirt junior Payton List pitched a complete game against Boston College, recording 11 strikeouts, which was one short of her career best.
Against Boston College, the Eagles scored first with an RBI single in the opening inning. JMU responded with three runs in the bottom half, including an RBI double from Lewis. Boston College tied the game in the second inning with a two-run home run and took the lead again in the third. JMU evened the score in the fourth when sophomore Cali Legzdin hit a double, and Gleason later gave JMU a 6-4 advantage with a two-run homer. However, Meghan Schouten of Boston College hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning to secure a 7-6 win for her team.
In their second game of the day, Virginia Tech scored early and steadily increased its lead over JMU. The Hokies tallied one run in the first inning, four more in the second, and added two additional runs in the third to reach seven runs total. Sophomore Emily LeGrand and Lewis both recorded multiple hits for JMU during this matchup.
The Dukes are scheduled to play Bryant on March 7 at 10:30 a.m., followed by a game against Penn State at 1 p.m.
