James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Saturday, March 7
Harrisonburg, Va.
3:30 p.m.
James Madison University
5-12
10
vs
4
St. John's
8-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
St. John's
3
0
0
0
0
1
0
4
4
0
James Madison
3
0
0
3
0
4
X
10
9
3
Dukes Claim Victories over St. John's and Rhode Island
3/7/2015 10:54:00 PM | Softball
HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison softball opened its 2015 home slate on Saturday with a 10-4 win over St. John's and an 8-0 win over Rhode Island in six innings on day one of the JMU Dukes Invitational at Veterans Memorial Park.
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The Dukes (9-5) gave up a combined five hits on the day, with four tallied by St. John's. Junior Jailyn Ford (3-2) earned the win against the Red Storm, going 4.2 innings and surrendering three hits and three runs while striking out seven, and freshman Megan Good earned her second save of the season with 2.2 innings pitched, giving up one hit and one run with four strikeouts. Senior Heather Kiefer (2-2) went the distance against the Rams, pitching a shutout with just one hit, one walk and three strikeouts.
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Junior catcher Erica Field led the day with four hits, scoring one run and tallying one RBI. Sophomore shortstop Niki Prince accounted for a team-high four runs while sophomore center fielder Taylor Newton crossed the plate three times. Freshman catcher Alyssa Buddle and freshman second baseman Morgan Tolle each led the Dukes with three RBI apiece.
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In the day's first contest, both JMU and St. John's struck early, plating three runs each in the first half. The teams traded zeroes on the board until the bottom of the fourth when Buddle launched a pinch-hit, three-run home run down the left field line to break the game open at 6-3. She plated junior Hannah Hayes, who reached on a lead-off single up the middle, and sophomore Tahli Moore, who was pinch-running for freshman Jessica Mrozek after she reached on a single.
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The Red Storm plated a run in the top of the sixth off a home run to center field, but the Dukes used another two home runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to score four more runs. Tolle sent the first pitch of the inning sailing over the left field wall before Field sent a three-run shot to left center.
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Moving into the second JMU contest of the day, the Dukes wasted little time in putting runs on the board. Prince led off with a single to right field and stole second base before Field tallied her fourth RBI of the day, doubling down the left field line to send Prince across the plate.
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Tolle notched her second home run of the day in the second inning against the Rams, a two-run shot to straight away center that gave the Dukes a 3-0 lead. Small ball in the third inning built the Dukes lead to 6-0 while Newton joined the long-ball club in the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot to left field.
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JMU earned a mercy-rule win in the bottom of the sixth when Moore singled to second base and scored Prince from third. Prince singled through the right side before advancing to third on Field's single through the left side.
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The Dukes return to Veterans Memorial Park on Sunday, March 8, for Day Two of the JMU Invitational. JMU is scheduled to face Stony Brook (4-7) at 2:30 p.m. and Maryland (13-8) at 4:30 p.m.
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The Dukes (9-5) gave up a combined five hits on the day, with four tallied by St. John's. Junior Jailyn Ford (3-2) earned the win against the Red Storm, going 4.2 innings and surrendering three hits and three runs while striking out seven, and freshman Megan Good earned her second save of the season with 2.2 innings pitched, giving up one hit and one run with four strikeouts. Senior Heather Kiefer (2-2) went the distance against the Rams, pitching a shutout with just one hit, one walk and three strikeouts.
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Junior catcher Erica Field led the day with four hits, scoring one run and tallying one RBI. Sophomore shortstop Niki Prince accounted for a team-high four runs while sophomore center fielder Taylor Newton crossed the plate three times. Freshman catcher Alyssa Buddle and freshman second baseman Morgan Tolle each led the Dukes with three RBI apiece.
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In the day's first contest, both JMU and St. John's struck early, plating three runs each in the first half. The teams traded zeroes on the board until the bottom of the fourth when Buddle launched a pinch-hit, three-run home run down the left field line to break the game open at 6-3. She plated junior Hannah Hayes, who reached on a lead-off single up the middle, and sophomore Tahli Moore, who was pinch-running for freshman Jessica Mrozek after she reached on a single.
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The Red Storm plated a run in the top of the sixth off a home run to center field, but the Dukes used another two home runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to score four more runs. Tolle sent the first pitch of the inning sailing over the left field wall before Field sent a three-run shot to left center.
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Moving into the second JMU contest of the day, the Dukes wasted little time in putting runs on the board. Prince led off with a single to right field and stole second base before Field tallied her fourth RBI of the day, doubling down the left field line to send Prince across the plate.
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Tolle notched her second home run of the day in the second inning against the Rams, a two-run shot to straight away center that gave the Dukes a 3-0 lead. Small ball in the third inning built the Dukes lead to 6-0 while Newton joined the long-ball club in the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot to left field.
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JMU earned a mercy-rule win in the bottom of the sixth when Moore singled to second base and scored Prince from third. Prince singled through the right side before advancing to third on Field's single through the left side.
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The Dukes return to Veterans Memorial Park on Sunday, March 8, for Day Two of the JMU Invitational. JMU is scheduled to face Stony Brook (4-7) at 2:30 p.m. and Maryland (13-8) at 4:30 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ford, Jailyn (3-3)
L: CARRULLO, F. (1-3)
S: Good, Megan (2)
Batting:
HR: PUGA, K. 1 ; BURNER, E. 1
RBI: ROBLES, L. 1 ; PUGA, K. 2 ; BURNER, E. 1
SH: GARCIA, B. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: ANDERSON, H. 1 ; ROBLES, L. 1 ; PUGA, K. 1 ; BURNER, E. 1
Batting:
2B: Field, Erica 1
3B: Hayes, Hannah 1
HR: Field, Erica 1 ; Good, Megan 1 ; Tolle, Morgan 1 ; Buddle, Alyssa 1
RBI: Field, Erica 3 ; Good, Megan 2 ; Hayes, Hannah 1 ; Tolle, Morgan 1 ; Buddle, Alyssa 3
SH: Tolle, Morgan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Prince, Niki 2 ; Field, Erica 1 ; Good, Megan 1 ; Newton, Taylor 1 ; Hayes, Hannah 1 ; Tolle, Morgan 1 ; Moran, Madyson 1 ; Buddle, Alyssa 1 ; Moore, Tahli 1
SB: Prince, Niki 1 ; Ford, Jailyn 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
1b/p
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ SoftballC/UT
/ Softball
P/UT
/ SoftballP/INF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
INF
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