SAN MARCOS, Texas (JMU Athletics) – No. 1 seed Louisiana scored five runs in the first two innings and never looked back, downing No. 8 James Madison 8-0 in five innings in the Quarterfinals of the 2024 Sun Belt Softball Championship on Thursday afternoon.

JMU finishes its 2024 season with a 31-22 record, while Louisiana, who’s ranked 18th in the nation, moved to 41-16 and will play in the Semifinals tomorrow against the winner of No. 4 Coastal Carolina and No. 5 Troy. The Dukes finished with zero runs and three hits, while the Ragin’ Cajuns tallied eight runs on seven hits.

Sam Landry got her 23rd win of the season in the circle, working 4.1 scoreless innings while only surrendering three hits and striking out four. Reed Butler picked up two of JMU’s three hits on the day which included a double, while Jasmine Hall picked up the Dukes’ other hit.

How It Happened
• Reed Butler hit a leadoff double in the top of the first, but Landry sat the Dukes down in order with a pair of strikeouts to keep JMU off the board.
• Louisiana manufactured a run in the bottom of the first after Maddie Hayden singled, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch to give the Cajuns a 1-0 lead after one inning.
• A two-out double from Jasmine Hall was stranded at second base for JMU in the top of the second, as Louisiana continued to lead 1-0 through an inning and a half.
• The Cajuns broke the game open in the bottom of the second, scoring four runs and opening a 5-0 lead.
• Sam Roe launched a solo home run in the bottom of the third, extending Louisiana’s lead to 6-0.
• Kirsten Fleet worked a scoreless fourth inning which featured a strikeout to keep the Cajuns off the board.
• J. Hall and Madison Edwards walked in the top of the fifth, but a double play ended the inning and kept the UL lead at 6-0.
• Louisiana walked off the game in the bottom of the fifth on a pair of singles and walks, giving the Cajuns the 8-0 run-rule victory.

Game Notes
• Louisiana only left three runners on base, hitting 3-for-7 (.429) with runners in scoring position.
• Butler managed her 23rd multi-hit game of the season, finishing 2-for-2. Moreover, her final 2024 batting average of .415 is the fourth-highest in a single season in JMU history.
• Alissa Humphrey ends her JMU career with 504 strikeouts, the fifth-most in a JMU career. Her 10 saves tie her with Jenny Clohan for the program record, and her 110 appearances tied her with Heather Kiefer for the sixth-most in program history.

— JMU Athletics —