by Rylee Bamberger
In a battle of bats, the James Madison Dukes fought off the rallying Troy Trojans to win the weekend series. In a matchup that saw 44 total hits, 38 runs and 13 home runs, the Trojans came up just short, losing 10-7 last Sunday.
True freshman KK Mathis provided the main spark for the Dukes’ offense. The infielder homered in all three games and each home run came when the Dukes had two outs. Mathis’ three home runs and five RBIs contributed to her nine total home runs – second best for the Dukes – and her 36 total RBIs which leads the Dukes.
Graduate senior Hannah Shifflett complimented Mathis’ performance with three home runs of her own, improving her season total to 11, leading JMU. True freshman Bella Henzler also contributed with two home runs of her own.
True freshman pitcher Kylah Berry pitched 7.1 total innings in two games of the series. Berry was crucial to the Dukes’ securing the series win, recording four strikeouts in just four innings and being credited with the win after shutting the Trojans down short in the seventh inning.
Junior two-way player Libby Baker produced both at the plate and in the circle for the Trojans in this series. Baker finished the series with a .500 batting average including a double and a homer in a perfect 4f-or-4 performance on Sunday. Baker pitched in Saturday’s game, recording the final five outs and limiting the Dukes to one run.
The Trojans executed small ball all series. With 23 total hits, all but six resulted in singles which advanced runners and set up many scoring opportunities.
The fourth-place Trojans return home to face the first place Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Louisiana is on a nine-game conference winning streak and has upset several ranked teams such as No. 25 UCF, No. 14 LSU and No. 12 Florida.
The three-game series begins on Friday at 6 p.m. with games following on Saturday and Sunday. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday and for 12 p.m. on Sunday.
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