BOONE, N.C. – With the score tied at one after
Madison Fletcher plated a run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth,
Macy Hamby stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and nobody out in the fifth, looking to do damage. She did just that, clobbering an 0-1 pitch high over the left-field wall for the go-ahead grand slam to put the App State softball up for good in its 5-2 victory over James Madison on Friday.
Hamby's grand slam was App State's (26-16, 5-11 SBC) ninth of the season and 15th of the
Whitney Jones era. Her grand slam also came on the same night that her father, Dustin, threw out the first pitch. It proved to be an important one, as App State answered James Madison's (20-21, 7-9 SBC) first-inning run with five to take a commanding lead in the late stages of the contest.
Along with Hamby,
Sophie Moshos provided a stellar game in the circle, carrying over her strong weekend at ULM last week to her start on Friday. The lefty went the distance and allowed two runs – a run in the first and a run in the sixth – to pick up her 12th win of the season. Although she only struck out one batter, Moshos' ability to keep hitters off balance proved effective against the Dukes, who only mustered six hits in the ballgame.
How it Happened
JMU capitalized on a lead-off single and a two-out double to take a 1-0 lead after the top of the first inning. The Mountaineers saw Hamby walk, and
Grace Barrett single up the middle to put two runners on base, but a lineout ended the threat. App State again saw a baserunner reach in the second inning after
Emilie Ching singled, but JMU's defense left her stranded, which sent play to the third with the Dukes on top by a run.
Moshos tallied her first and only strikeout of the game in the third inning to help keep James Madison off the board. She then sat down the Dukes in order in the fourth, before App State tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Barrett continued her recent hot streak with a lead-off double, and
KB Bradshaw reached first on a fielding error to put runners at the corners with nobody out. Fletcher plated App State's first run with a flyball to left that was deep enough to score Barrett and tie the score at one apiece.
With the score now tied, App State's defense posted another zero in the fifth inning, working around an error to do so. The Dukes made a pitching change in the bottom of the fifth inning, and App State capitalized with a single by
Taylor Schafer, a bunt hit by
Julia Girk and a four-pitch walk to
Makayla McClain to load the bases with nobody out. Facing an 0-1 count, Hamby saw a pitch she liked and drove it over the wall in left for a grand slam. She delivered a resounding fist pump while rounding second and gave App State a four-run lead.
The Dukes generated a scoring threat in the top of the sixth inning and pulled within three runs after an RBI single plated their second run of the game. Moshos was able to force a popout to end the inning, but App State couldn't add an insurance run, and the game moved to the seventh with the Mountaineers ahead by three.
Needing three outs to clinch the win, James Madison led off the frame with a single, but Moshos recorded the first out with a flyout to left. Facing a speedy lead-off hitter, Moshos worked an inside pitch to force a weak grounder to the bag at second. McClain moved to her right, stepped on the bag at second and fired to first for a game-ending double play to seal the Mountaineers' 26th win of the season.
Friday Notes
Home runs
App: Hamby (6)
JMU: N/A
WP:
Sophie Moshos (12-8): 7 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout
SV: N/A
LP: Payton List (6-11): 2 IP, 3 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Up Next
App State will look to win the series in the middle game with James Madison on Saturday at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium. Saturday's game will not be streamed, and fans are encouraged to follow along via Live Stats at appstatesports.com. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
