Butler, Berry Lead JMU to 3-1 Victory at Texas State

Saturday, May 6

San Marcos, Texas

1 p.m. ET (Noon CT)

James Madison University

28-18, 13-11

Texas State

33-22-1, 13-9-1

James Madison

Texas State

5/6/2023 5:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Late-game heroics from redshirt junior Reed Butler and freshman pitcher Kylah Berry led James Madison softball to a 3-1 victory over Texas State on Saturday afternoon in Sun Belt Conference action at the Bobcat Softball Stadium.

With the win, the Dukes clinched the No. 6 seed for the Sun Belt Championship and are scheduled to play No. 3 seed South Alabama in the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 11. JMU will take on the Jaguars at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT).

James Madison finished the regular season with a 28-18 record and a 13-11 mark in conference play. Texas State heads into the tournament at 33-22-1 overall and 13-9-1 against league competition, earning the No. 5 seed.

Berry picked up her 11th win of the season, pitching all 7.0 innings, striking out four batters and allowing just one run off five hits.

Butler led the way offensively with a pair of hits for two RBIs. Freshman KK Mathis and Bella Henzler, junior Kylee Gleason and graduate students Hallie Hall and Avery Pinder all recorded hits in the win.

For Texas State, Jessica Mullins took the loss after conceding three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts. The Bobcats left seven runners on base, as opposed to JMU's two.

How It Happened

The Dukes got on the board in the top of the first with an RBI single from Henzler to bring home Mathis.
After a defensive battle, the Bobcats answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth inning from Karmyn Bass.
With Hallie Hall at first, Butler gave JMU the lead for good in the top of the seventh with a two-run home run over the left-field wall, to give the Dukes a 3-1 lead.
In the bottom half, Berry shut the door by striking out a pair of Bobcats swinging to secure the victory.

Up Next
The Dukes will trek to Lafayette, La. for the Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship, hosted by Louisiana at the Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.

For more conference championship info, head to the SBC's tournament page here. The championship game is slated for 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) on Saturday, May 13.