Dukes Utilize Strong Starts to Earn Wins over UIC and Fairfield

Friday, March 13

Orlando, Fla.

1:30 p.m.

James Madison University

13-6

UIC

6-9

UIC

James Madison

Dukes Utilize Strong Starts to Earn Wins over UIC and Fairfield

3/13/2015 8:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

ORLANDO, Fla. – James Madison opened play at the UCF Spring Fling Tournament with a pair of victories, claiming a 6-1 triumph against UIC before downing Fairfield 8-2 on Friday at the UCF Softball Complex.

The Dukes improved to 14-6 on the season after winning their fourth and fifth straight outings. Junior Hannah Hayes led the Dukes with a .667 batting average, going 4-for-6 from the plate with two RBIs and three runs. Two other JMU players hit at least .500 as freshman Megan Good was .625 on 5-for-8 batting with two RBIs and a run while sophomore Taylor Newton hit .500 on 3-for-6 with one home run, a team-high four RBIs and a run.

Good and junior Jailyn Ford picked up victories on the day as the duo combined to pitch 10.2 innings, allowing four combined hits, one unearned run and 13 strikeouts.

The Dukes return to action twice Saturday when they take on Monmouth at 9 a.m. and Butler at 1:30 p.m.

Game One: James Madison 6, UIC 1
James Madison produced four first-inning runs and freshman pitcher Megan Good kept her win streak intact in a 6-1 victory against UIC in the first of two games at the UCF Spring Fling Tournament.

Good threw a complete game, her sixth of the season, after allowing just one unearned run to improve to 7-0 this year. She gave up four base hits and struck out eight to guide JMU to its fourth win in a row. Good also thrived from the plate, where she had a career-high four hits, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a run.

Two other Dukes had multi-hit afternoons as junior left fielder Hannah Hayes had a perfect 3-for-3 day with two RBIs and two runs while junior catcher Erica Field went 2-for-3 with a walk and run. One of Field's hits was a double, the 40th of her career, which moved her just three shy of tying the all-time record of 43, set by Ashley Burnham (2009-12).

JMU set the tone early, pouring on four runs in the first inning. Good gave the Dukes a 1-0 lead when she singled to center, scoring Field from second. Three batters later and with two runners in scoring position, Hayes drove the ball to left center, scoring both Good and junior first baseman Jailyn Ford, to make it 3-0. After Hayes advanced to third on back-to-back illegal pitches, she stole home when UIC got in a run down with sophomore pinch runner Tahli Moore between first and second.

In the third inning, freshman second baseman Morgan Tolle laced a double to left, driving in Hayes from second base to extend JMU's lead to 4-0.

UIC got a run back in the fifth when it loaded the bases with only one out and utilized a single to third by Amanda Mener to score Savannah Soppet. The Dukes added one more score in the sixth when Good singled down the left field line, scoring sophomore pinch runner Mimi Morris from two bases away.

Elaine Heflin took the loss for the Flames, dropping to 0-5 after conceding six runs, 13 hits and two walks in her six innings pitched.

Game Two: James Madison 8, Fairfield 2
Sophomore center fielder Taylor Newton and sophomore shortstop Niki Prince combined to drive in seven runs to lead James Madison to an 8-2 win over Fairfield Friday night in game two of the UCF Spring Fling Tournament.

The duo tied their respective single-game career-high RBI totals as Newton went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs while Prince also hit 2-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs and a walk.

Junior pitcher Jailyn Ford came in to pitch relief for the second time this week and turned in yet again another excellent performance, striking out five in 3.2 innings while not allowing one batter to reach base, as she improved to 5-4 this season. She also reached a career milestone in the win, becoming JMU's second pitcher ever to strike out 500 batters. Combined with senior pitcher Heather Kiefer's unblemished seventh inning, the Dukes retired the final 14 Fairfield hitters.

The Dukes started quickly for the second time in as many games Friday, scoring three in the first. After two runners reached on walks, Newton took her first pitch deep to left center field for her third homer of the season, giving JMU the early 3-0 advantage.

In the third, Newton tacked on another RBI as she followed Ford's two-out double with one of her own to drive the winning pitcher in, making it 4-0.

The Stags cut into Madison's lead in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of runs. Fairfield quickly loaded the bases and with one out, it produced back-to-back singles to make it 4-2. From there, Ford replaced Kiefer and struck out the next two batters, which began JMU's defensive prowess the rest of the game.

The Dukes added insurance in the top of the sixth as Prince doubled the team's run total with one swing of the bat. After loading the bases, the Dukes put the game away when the shortstop hit a 3-RBI triple to the center field wall and scored on a throwing error, giving them an 8-2 lead.

Fairfield never mustered another base runner, leading to JMU's second win of the day.