JMU SOFTBALL BEATS GSU 3-0 IN CAA CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER

Wednesday, May 12

Hempstead, N.Y.

3:30 p.m.

James Madison University

24-31

Georgia State

35-18

James Madison

Georgia State

5/12/2010 11:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., May 12, 2010 - Sophomore second baseman Caitlen Manning (Prince George, Va./Prince George) had a career-high three hits and drove in a pair of runs while junior Olivia McPherson (Liberty, N.C./Southern Alamance) twirled a four-hit shutout, leading third-seeded James Madison to a 3-0 win against second-seeded Georgia State Wednesday in the opening round of the Colonial Athletic Association Softball Tournament.

The defending champion Dukes won their sixth straight game and the fourth straight CAA Championship game to advance to the winners' bracket game against top-seeded Hofstra at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Hofstra Softball Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y. Hofstra scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh, including a walk-off grand slam, for a 7-3 victory against fourth-seeded Towson in Wednesday's first game. Towson and GSU will play at 12:30 p.m. in the tournament's first elimination game.

JMU improved to 24-31 overall while the Panthers had their five-game winning streak snapped to drop to 35-18.

McPherson threw her third consecutive complete game and her fourth in her last five starts to improve to 8-5. She gave up four hits and walked two while tying her season-high for strikeouts with six. Wednesday's shutout was the first of her JMU career and her third all-time.

Left-hander McCall Langford took the loss to drop to 14-4. She gave up three runs on eight hits in seven innings of work. The second-team All-CAA selection struck out three and walked none.

Manning extended her hitting streak to five games with her three-hit showing on Wednesday. She has gone 9-for-16 over her last five starts with three runs and four RBIs. Five other Dukes had a hit, including senior first baseman Shannon Moxey (Church Road, Va./Mills Godwin) who went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Third baseman Danielle Roddy recorded two of the four Panther hits, going 2-for-4. Catcher Lily Skelton reached base three times, walking once and being hit by a pitch twice.

The Dukes took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Junior catcher Katie Spitzer (Broadway, Va./Broadway) led off the inning with a strikeout but reached first on a wild pitch by Langford. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman third baseman Haley Johnson (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run). After a strikeout, Manning singled to center, scoring Spitzer from second.

JMU extended its lead to 3-0 in the top of the fourth. Moxey started the frame with a single to center. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Spitzer before Johnson was hit by a pitch. A fielder's choice retired on a grounder by freshman center fielder Jasmine Butler (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange) moved Moxey to third. Manning followed with her second RBI single of the game to make it 2-0. On the Manning single, the ball bounced passed the GSU center fielder allowing Butl