South Alabama defeated James Madison 6-1 on Mar. 29, completing a Sun Belt Conference series sweep at Bank of the James Field at Veterans Memorial Park.
The victory marks a significant achievement for South Alabama, which managed to hold James Madison to just four hits while scoring four runs in the third inning. Head coach Becky Clark said, “These were huge road wins for us this weekend. James Madison is very athletic and a well-coached team, so I’m proud of our effort and the results. I think it all finally started to click for us, and now it’s up to us to keep it going.”
In the game’s key moments, pitcher Tori Miller worked out of an early jam in the first inning after two JMU batters reached base but failed to score. In the third inning, Gracie Dees hit her fourth home run of the season for South Alabama, putting them ahead 2-0. Kara Wine followed with a two-run double later in that frame, extending their lead.
James Madison scored its only run in the fourth on an error by South Alabama but was unable to close the gap further as Ryley Harrison came on in relief and allowed just one hit over three innings. The Jaguars added two more runs in the seventh with RBI hits from Virginia Mambelli and Olivia Branstetter.
Branstetter reached base all four times she came up to bat and contributed both offensively and defensively throughout the game. Miller struck out four across her four innings pitched while Harrison recorded her fifth career save—moving into fifth place all-time at South Alabama—and helped limit JMU’s offense effectively.
Looking ahead, South Alabama will host Texas State for another three-game Sun Belt Conference series starting Thursday.
