HARRISONBURG, Va. – In game 1 of the Mountaineers' three-game set in Harrisonburg, the App State Softball team saw back-to-back home runs by
Makayla McClain and
Macy Hamby to open the game and didn't slow down as the team hit five homers en route to an 8-0 run-rule victory against the James Madison Dukes on Friday. The win was App State's first win against the Dukes since 2006.
After setting what was a then-season high for homers in a game with four last Saturday at home, App State (11-20, 2-5 SBC) set its new season-high for homers in a game against the Dukes (11-18, 0-7 SBC) in just five innings. Both
Makayla McClain and
Macy Hamby tallied multi-homer games and
Madison McIntyre slugged a three-run homer in the fifth inning to help the Mountaineers run rule James Madison. Hamby's homers came in consecutive at-bats to open the ballgame and gave her three homers in three straight at-bats (she homered in her final at-bat last Sunday against the Eagles).
It was one of the more complete games played by App State this season as the Mountaineer defense responded to their explosive offense by posting a two-hit shutout.
Sophie Moshos twirled a brilliant game in the circle, striking out three hitters which included her 400th career strikeout at the collegiate level in the first inning and her first shutout as a Mountaineer. The Mountaineers didn't commit an error in the game, marking the third straight error-free game by App State.
Six different players recorded at least one hit in the contest while five players tallied a multi-hit game.
Julia Girk,
Leah Gore and
Grace Barrett joined Hamby and McClain with two hits to help the Mountaineers to a double-digit hit tally. App State's 1-4 punch of McClain, Hamby, Barrett and Gore combined to go 8-13 with seven runs, five RBI and four homers.
How it Happened
It didn't take long for the Mountaineers to get going on Friday as McClain took the third pitch of the game deep to center field for a lead-off home run to put App State on top. McClain's bomb to center marked App State's first lead-off homer of the season. Four pitches later, Hamby followed up the lead-off homer by launching one of her own over the left-field wall to make it 2-0 before an out was recorded.
JMU made a pitching change after Hamby's first home run and the Dukes recorded the first out of the game, but Gore punched a single to right field to keep the inning going. Things settled down after Gore's hit as JMU punched out two in a row to end the inning.
App State answered the explosive top of the first inning with a scoreless frame on defense. Game 1's starter
Sophie Moshos forced a lineout to open the game and then after a walk, the lefty forced a fielder's choice and struck out the first hitter of her outing to strand a runner at first. The inning-ending strikeout was the 400th of her collegiate career.
The Mountaineers saw a one-out double ring the left-center field gap by Girk in the top of the second, but couldn't cash in as the Dukes left her stranded. James Madison couldn't respond in its half of the second inning and the Mountaineers maintained their two-run lead through two.
The second homer of the evening by Hamby hung high in the air and vaulted over the left-field wall to lead off the third inning, putting App State up 3-0. Hamby's homer marked the third consecutive at-bat in which she had homered dating back to last Sunday. Barrett followed her with a sharply hit single into center field, but that was all for the Mountaineers in the third as JMU retired the side allowing just one run.
James Madison saw its first scoring chance of the contest in the bottom half of the third as a one-out single reached base. The batter stole second and went to third on a wild pitch, marking the first runner in scoring position for JMU in the game. Moshos didn't let her score and kept the shutout in play as she struck out the next hitter and forced a popup to end the frame.
After the App State lead-off hitter went down to open the fourth, Girk recorded her second hit of the day, racing to first to beat out a bunt hit. She was advanced to second after an out and then McClain ripped a high flyball into the Harrisonburg night that went over the wall to make it 5-0 App State. After not seeing anyone this season tally a multi-homer game until last Saturday, App State now has three different players with multi-homer outings after Friday. JMU retired the next hitter, but App State led by five heading into the bottom of the fourth.
The Dukes went quietly in their half of the fourth, which allowed the Mountaineers to strike again in the top of the fifth. The inning started with singles by Barrett and Gore, who each tallied their second hits of the contest with those knocks. Two pitches later, McIntyre crushed App State's 10th homer in its last three games over the right-center field wall, making the score 8-0 with nobody out. It was McIntyre's third homer in her last three contests.
Walks to both
Marti Henkel and
Grace Taylor put two more runners on for App State, but James Madison kept its deficit to 8-0 and needed a run in the bottom half to extend the game. Moshos didn't let that happen though as she needed just 11 pitches to sit down the Dukes to close the game. Moshos' complete-game shutout marked App State's second shutout of the season (
Sejal Neas against Drexel).
Friday Notes
Home runs
App: McClain 2 (5,6), Hamby 2 (3,4), McIntyre (6)
JMU: N/A
WP:
Sophie Moshos (7-6): 5 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP: Payton List (3-4): 0.0, 2 hits, 2 runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts
Up Next
App State and James Madison will continue its three-game series on Saturday with game 2 in Harrisonburg. First pitch from Bank of the James Field at Veterans Memorial Park is slated for 1 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
