HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison softball split the second day of the Lakeside Book Company Invitational with a six-home run performance against Buffalo after falling to Hofstra prior on Saturday at Veterans Memorial Park. The Dukes fell to the Pride, 3-2, before knocking off the Bulls in five innings, 14-3.
At the plate, graduate Kylee Gleason went 2-for-3 with a run scored in both games and added a double in the first game. In the second game, junior Kendra Lewis went 3-for-3 with two homers, three runs scored and four RBI to lead the way, with sophomore Cali Legzdin and freshman Emma Jo Evans adding three RBI each.
Junior Kirsten Fleet earned the win in game two to improve to 5-1 this season, tossing three innings with three strikeouts.
Hofstra 3, JMU 2
JMU opened the scoring in the second inning as redshirt freshman Kira Ortega homered over the left field wall. Junior Madison Edwards added a run to the lead to make it 2-0 on a double in the third inning, scoring Gleason.
The Pride tied the game on a two-run shot off the bat of Gabby Sultan in the fourth inning. They then took the lead in the sixth on a single to make it 3-2.
JMU didn’t go out without a fight though, as the Dukes put the tying and scoring runs in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh. A ground out to second secure the victory for Hofstra.
JMU 14, Buffalo 3 (Five innings)
The Dukes jumped out to a seven-run lead in the first on the back of three-run homers from Evans and Legzdin after sophomore Emily LeGrand got the scoring started with an RBI single.
Buffalo took three runs back in the top of the second to make it 7-3, but the Dukes established their seven-run lead again in the home half of the second. Lewis hit her first home run of the game, a two-run shot, before freshman Aynalem Zoet singled in a run.
A three-homer inning followed in the third for JMU to push the lead to 14-3. LeGrand and freshman Mia Tribul hit solo homers around Lewis’ second two-run homer.
Game Notes:
• JMU’s six home runs were the most in a game since homering eight times at Radford on March 22, 2022.
• The Dukes scored their most runs in a game since March 8, 2025, when they scored 15 against Fordham.
• Kendra Lewis tied her career high in hits and runs scored while posting a season high in RBI during the win over Buffalo.
Up Next:
The Dukes will close out the Lakeside Book Company Invitational against Hofstra at Veterans Memorial Park tomorrow, March 1 at 1:30 p.m.
— JMU Athletics —
