JMU SOFTBALL SHUT OUT BY VIRGINIA, 6-0

Wednesday, April 6

Charlottesville, Va.

4:00 p.m.

James Madison University

23-11

Virginia

17-19

James Madison

Virginia

4/6/2011 10:13:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., April 6, 2011 – Virginia pitcher Melanie Mitchell limited James Madison softball to three hits and struck out 11 batters to lead UVA to a 6-0 win at The Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday.

The loss snapped JMU's three-game winning streak and dropped it to 23-11 overall. Virginia won its second straight to run its record 17-19.

Mitchell didn't allow a runner past second base as she improved to 10-9 on the season. The right-hander threw 66 of her 90 pitches for strikes and did not walk a batter on her way to tossing her fifth shutout of the season.

Senior pitcher Olivia McPherson (Liberty, N.C./Southern Alamance) allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings pitched. She struck out two, but took the loss to drop to 9-5 on the season. Freshman right-hander Brittany Jeans (Camano Island, Wash./Stanwood) allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings of relief.

Center fielder Giannina Cipolloni led the Cavaliers, going 3-for-4 with two runs and a RBI while second baseman Marcy Bowdren went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Right fielder Alison Pittman added a hit, a walk, two runs and a RBI in three at-bats.

Senior catcher Katie Spitzer (Broadway, Va./Broadway) went 2-for-2 with a double to pace the offense for JMU. Junior shortstop Ashley Burnham (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) added a single in three plate appearances. Sophomore center fielder Jasmine Butler (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange) saw her 16-game hitting streak, the second-longest in school history, come to an end as she went 0-for-3 at the plate.

Cipolloni used her speed to give the Cavaliers a 1-0 lead after one inning. The center fielder led off the game with an infield single, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. She scored on a single up the middle by third baseman Erica Cipolloni.

The top of the order added another run for UVA in the bottom of the third inning. Pittman dropped down a one-out bunt for a single before scoring on a double to center field by second baseman Marcy Bowdren.

Virginia added two more runs in the fifth inning. Giannina Cipolloni again ignited the offense with a one-out infield single. After a stolen base, Pittman walked and Cipolloni advanced to third on a JMU throwing error. Both runners came around to score on a single to right field by Bowdren.

A pair of lead-off walks led to two more Cavalier runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Catcher Kristen Hawkins and pinch hitter Lauren Didlake drew the two walks and each advanced a base on a wild