SOFTBALL DOWNS NORTH FLORIDA 4-0

Friday, March 5

Atlanta, Ga.

11:00 a.m.

James Madison University

6-4

North Florida

3-13

James Madison

North Florida

3/5/2010 6:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

WOODSTOCK, Ga., March 5, 2010 - JMU put together a four-run, two-out rally and freshman right-handers Heather Dindinger (Riner, Va./Auburn) and Cara Stecher (New Castle, Del./Caravel Academy) combined for a shutout as the Dukes beat North Florida 4-0 to open up the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic at the Twin Creeks Softball Complex in Woodstock, Ga. on Friday.

JMU picked up its third shutout in the last four games to improve to 6-4 this season. UNF dropped to 3-13 with the loss.

Madison broke open a scoreless game in the top of the third inning, scoring four runs off North Florida starter Shaina Dent. Senior first baseman Shannon Moxey (Church Road, Va./Mills Godwin) started the rally with a one-out single to left before Dent retired the next batter to get to two outs. It would be as far as she would get in the game, as sophomore second baseman Caitlen Manning (Prince George, Va./Prince George) walked ahead of a double by junior catcher Katie Spitzer (Broadway, Va./Broadway) to open up the scoring. Sophomore designated player Casey Mansfield (Suffolk, Va./Isle of Wight) plated two more runs with a double to right before senior left fielder Brittney Dyson (Waldorf, Md./Thomas Stone) capped the inning with a single to center, scoring Mansfield and chasing Dent from the game.

The Dukes finished the game with nine hits as Moxey went 3-for-4 with a run scored and Mansfield and Dyson had two hits each. Mansfield reached base all three times she came to the plate, going 2-for-2 with a double and getting hit by a pitch.

Dindinger and Stecher took JMU the rest of the way, combining for a seven-hit shutout. Dindinger pitched the first 5 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and striking out four before being lifted in the bottom of the sixth. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, Dindinger gave up an infield single and a double to left to put a pair of runners in scoring position but Stecher came in to escape the jam with a strikeout of pitcher Devyn Findley.

UNF threatened again in the seventh, putting two runners with two out, but Stecher got catcher Stephany Hall to end the game with a ground out to third.

Stecher picked up her first career save, pitching 1 1/3 in