HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison softball dropped game one of its Sun Belt series at Marshall on Thursday evening, falling 7-3 at Dot Hicks Field.

Marshall (37-14, 16-5 Sun Belt) used six home runs to claim the opener over JMU (25-23, 11-11 Sun Belt). The Herf finished with seven runs on 11 hits, while the Dukes tallied three runs on seven hits.

Emma Jo Evans paced the Dukes offensively, going 2-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs. Payton List added a solo homer in the sixth inning for JMU’s other extra-base hit of the night.

How It Happened:
• Marshall got on the board in the bottom of the first on a solo shot from Sydni Burko, giving the Herd a 1-0 lead.
• JMU answered with a solo home run from Emma Jo Evans in the top of the third before the Herd answered with back-to-back long balls in the bottom half of the inning to go ahead 4-1 after three.
• The Herd added two more homers to build the lead to 7-1 after five.
• List attempted to cut the deficit with a solo home run in the sixth, followed by Evans launching her second home run of the contest in the seventh

Up Next
The Dukes and Herd continue the series Friday evening in Huntington, with first pitch slated for 5 p.m.

— JMU Athletics —