LAFAYETTE, La. (JMU Athletics) – Louisiana made it a one-run ballgame with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but James Madison softball held off the Ragin’ Cajuns, defeating them by a score of 8-7 to clinch the series in a back-and-forth affair in Sun Belt play on Saturday night at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.

After Louisiana (19-22, 5-9 SBC) scored two first-inning runs, JMU (18-20, 5-9 SBC) fought right back, tying the game at two apiece on a bases-loaded hit by pitch and an infield single in the second.

Although the Ragin’ Cajuns threatened, the Dukes never surrendered the lead as they handed Louisiana its first home conference series loss since-then Sun Belt Conference member Western Kentucky took two of three in Lafayette on March 9-10, 2013.

Payton List turned in her second three-hit performance of 2025, delivering a keynote three-run home run in the top of the sixth, her team-leading 11th long ball of the season. List finished Saturday’s ballgame going 3-for-4, scoring a run, and driving in a career-tying four RBI.

The redshirt sophomore also finished the game in the circle, throwing the final two frames after coming on in relief for Kirsten Fleet.

Fleet earned her team-leading ninth victory in the circle, going five innings while allowing two earned runs on eight hits and walking one.

Cali Legzdin and Reed Butler also had two hits at the plate each, Legzdin with her second two-double game of the season and Butler contributing two RBI, her fifth multi-RBI game.

Raegan Wall also picked up two hits, while stealing two bases to bring her total to a team-leading 14 on the 2025 campaign.

Cecilia Vasquez paced the Louisiana offense, going 3-for-4 with a double. Maddie Hayden picked up two hits for the Cajuns, which included her two RBI in the bottom of the seventh.

How It Happened

First Inning
• Emily Smith singled up the middle to score the runner from second to give Louisiana an early 1-0 lead
• Mia Norwood singled to third base to bring in another run for a Ragin’ Cajuns and lead 2-0

Second Inning
• Lily Romero was hit by the pitch with the bases loaded to force in the Dukes’ first run of the day to make it 2-1
• Payton List legged out an RBI infield single to knot things up at two apiece
• On the next pitch, Reed Butler notched a two-run since through the left side giving the Dukes a 4-2 lead

Fifth Inning
• Louisiana had runners on the corners and one out for Sam Roe who singled up the middle to cut the lead to 4-3

Top of the Sixth
• List delivered the keynote for JMU as she drove a ball into the left-center field bleachers for a three-run home run, putting the Dukes up 7-3

Bottom of the Sixth
• Laney Credeur reached on a fielding error to score the runner from second base, cutting
the lead to three

Top of the Seventh
• After getting on base with a double and reaching third on an error, Legzdin came around to score the eighth run of the ballgame for the Dukes on a Madison Edwards sacrifice fly, making it 8-4

Bottom of the Seventh
• Mia Liscano walked with the bases loaded to knock in a run for Louisiana, cutting the lead to 8-5
• Maddie Hayden made it a one-run ballgame with a two-run single to left center and advancing to second on the throw

Game Notes
• James Madison extended its winning streak to a season-best seven games, its longest winning streak since April 12-20, 2024, when the Dukes won eight straight contests
• With her two stolen bases, Wall needs three more to tie Jasmine Butler (2010) for the most stolen bases by a freshman in a single season with 17
• List extended her on-base streak to 10 games and her hitting streak to nine, both season-bests
• Romero has caught at least one baserunner stealing in the last three games, the longest such streak in her career. Her nine caught steals are tied for ninth in program history in a single season. Erica Field and Alissa Humphrey each had nine in 2015 and 2022, respectively
• In total, she has caught 12 runners stealing throughout her career, just three shy of cracking the top 10 all-time list and tying Megan Shinaberry (2010-13) with 15
• Following Friday’s one-run victory, James Madison has back-to-back one-run wins for the first time since defeating Coastal Carolina by scores of 2-1 and 1-0 on March 18-19, 2023. In 2025, the Dukes are 3-4 in games decided by a run
• Fleet’s ninth victory during Saturday’s ballgame ties her 2024 total, as she went 9-5 during her freshman campaign
• The Dukes have won back-to-back conference series on the road for the first time as members of the Sun Belt and the first time since earning series victories against College of Charleston and Drexel as members of the Colonial Athletic Association in 2022

— JMU Athletics —