JMU SOFTBALL SWEEPS ON DAY TWO OF DAYS INN INVITATIONAL

Saturday, March 19

Harrisonburg, Va.

3:00 p.m.

James Madison University

16-9

Binghamton

7-6

Binghamton

James Madison

3/20/2011 12:21:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

HARRISONBURG, Va., March 19, 2011 – Junior shortstop Ashley Burnham (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) went 6-for-7 with five extra-base hits to lead the James Madison softball team to a pair of wins on day two of the JMU Days Inn Invitational. JMU won game one 2-1 over Binghamton before hammering Lehigh 10-1 in game two.

The Dukes improved to 3-1 in the tournament and 17-9 on the season. Lehigh and Binghamton each went 1-1 on the day and ran their records to 7-10 and 7-6, respectively.

In game two, Madison scored 10 runs while tying a season-high with 16 hits and capitalized on six Lehigh errors to score seven unearned runs.

Sophomore pitcher Cara Stecher (New Castle, Del./Caravel Academy) limited the Mountain Hawks to one unearned run on six hits and walk while striking out four in six innings pitched. She improved to 7-1 in the win. Freshman Brittany Jeans (Camano Island, Wash./Stanwood) struck out two in an inning of perfect relief.

Kelsey Lee took the loss to drop to 1-3. She allowed four runs, one earned, on seven hits and a walk. Ashley Quigley gave up six runs, two earned, on nine hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings of relief.

Burnham paced the offense, going 3-for-4 with a double, two triples, two runs and a RBI. Sophomore catcher Megan Shinaberry (Davie, Fla./McCarthy) added two hits, a run and three RBIs in five at-bats while sophomore right fielder Lori Botkin (Manassas, Va./Osbourn) went 2-for-4 with a run and a RBI.

The Mountain Hawks got hits from six different players, including a double from designated player Jacqi Kennelly.

Lehigh took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Third baseman Alex Cueva started the rally with a one-out hit-by-pitch. She moved to second on a ground-out and scored on a fielding error by the Dukes.

Madison came back to tie the game at one in the third inning. Burnham started the frame with her second triple of the game and scored on an infield single by redshirt senior left fielder Chel'sea Ryan (Sandston, Va./Henrico).

JMU added three more runs on three hits and two Lehigh errors in the fourth. Shinaberry reached on a drop pop-up to start the inning. She moved up to third on a sacrifice bunt and a fly-out before Botkin beat out an infield single for a 2-1 lead. Burnham followed with a double to deep center, scoring Botkin from first. The Dukes added a third run on a dropped throw by the Mountain Hawk third baseman, allowing Burnham to score from third.

Another error cost Lehigh a run in th