Softball Recap: James Monroe Takes a Loss

James Monroe had lost four straight on the road, but on Monday they dropped their record down to 4-12 to make it five. They lost 20-1 to the King George Foxes. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Foxes this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 7-3 back in April.

As for King George, the win was the tenth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 14-5. The result was nothing new for the Foxes, who have now won seven matches by six runs or more so far this season.

For King George's part, Kayla Smith and Kelsea Minter made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Smith tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Minter struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Smith has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 12 consecutive appearances. At the plate, Smith went 3-for-4 with three runs and one triple, while Minter went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. Those three runs gave Smith a new career-high.

In other batting news, Summer Stowers and Paige Headley did most of the damage at the plate: Stowers went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI, while Headley went 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI. That's the most hits Stowers has posted since back in April of 2024. Juliana Slavin also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.

We've got plenty of inter-region action coming up soon. James Monroe will square off against rival Courtland at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Meanwhile, King George is set to take on their familiar foe Spotsylvania at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Foxes 3.5, the Knights 3.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.