In their first ever February Invitational at home, James Madison went 4-0 and improved their overall record to 8-1 on the season. While there were some rocky moments and one wouldn’t classify this as a perfect weekend despite the undefeated record, what the Dukes did show in every single victory was a different way in which they can win games. On top of that, they showed that they are undaunted when their backs are seemingly against the wall.
The first game on Friday was against Villanova, a team that is favored to win the Big East this year. I knew this would be a tough test for the Dukes, and it proved to be just that. In a back-and-forth game, NOVA would take a 5-4 lead late off of a 2-run homerun. On the whole, the Wildcats capitalized on their situational hitting, something JMU needed to work on going into the weekend. But in the bottom of the 7th, the bases were loaded with clutch hitting and excellent at bats for Bella Henzler to hit the first walk off grand slam of the weekend. Yup, you read that right.
The next game against Lehigh was less eventful, with Payton List starting and Alissa Humphrey coming in to pitch the bulk of the game earning her the win. It was a comfortable 8-1 victory for the Dukes that saw improvement on the front of getting players on base home. There’s really not much else to say, other than JMU took care of this game as they should, with a mostly clean game and the game itself almost never in doubt.
Saturday was supposed to be a rematch between Villanova and the Dukes, but as was always a possibility in February, weather derailed the proceedings. So, JMU fans had to “settle” for watching both men’s and women’s basketball win their games on senior day.
Sunday was fun. There will be a lot to be discussed, but it was fun. The first game against Lehigh saw the Mountain Hawks jump out to a 4-1 lead on 4 unearned runs. Then the Dukes came back to tie the game 4-4 only to have the Mountain Hawks build up a 9-4 lead with a 5-run 4th inning. Despite JMU not immediately responding, I wasn’t nervous. Odd, but I had faith in our relief pitching and that the bats would come alive. After tying the game up with 2 home runs in the bottom of the 5th by Jasmine Hall and Madison Edwards, the Dukes would have an 8 run 6th inning capped by an inside the park grand slam by Kate Carrier to end the game at 17-9. This was also the first run rule game for the Dukes. Never flinching down 5 runs and having this kind of offensive explosion bodes well for JMU moving forward.
The evening was capped off with another complete game, this time a shutout from Alissa Humphrey as the Dukes handled in-state foe and former A-10 champion George Mason 7-0. This was another way in which JMU showed off the diverse ways in which they could win a game. Humphrey got herself out of a bases loaded jam, and JMU continued to have great at bats up and down the order despite an opportunity to blow the game open early missed. Another quality win as the Dukes move into much steeper competition this upcoming weekend.
Heading into that weekend, JMU will boast a lineup that has 4 players hitting above .400 and the bulk over regular starters hitting above .300. This sort of balance will be much needed moving forward. In the circle, the bulk of the innings have been eaten up by Kirsten Fleet and Alissa Humphrey respectively, but Payton List and Molly Grube will certainly be called upon frequently moving forward and have performed well thus far when they have been called.
Next weekend JMU will face a massive uptick in competition as they travel to South Carolina. The Dukes will face Charlotte twice, a team that has already upset Florida State this year and took Duke to the brink when they faced them in the Durham regional last year. The Dukes will also face their first ranked opponent in South Carolina and a South Alabama team that knocked JMU out of the SBC Tournament last year. JMU will then finish off with UMASS on Sunday. Anything 3-2 and above should be seen as a massive victory for this team this upcoming weekend, and I think they are showing the balance and poise to do so. I’m sure if you asked the girls though, they’re looking to go 5-0, full stop.
Go Dukes!