No. 19/20 JMU Downs Drexel Twice to Cap Unbeaten CAA Season

Saturday, May 2

Harrisonburg, Va.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

43-6, 0

Drexel

19-22, 0

Drexel

James Madison

No. 19/20 JMU Downs Drexel Twice to Cap Unbeaten CAA Season

5/2/2015 6:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

HARRISONBURG, Va. - A no-hit effort in game one and back-to-back home runs in game two led No. 19/20 James Madison to a Colonial Athletic Association softball sweep against Drexel, 9-0 and 3-2, on Saturday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Park as the Dukes closed the regular season undefeated in conference play for the first time in program history.

The Dukes extended their nation's longest win streak to 35 games, improving to 44-6 on the year and 19-0 in CAA play, while the Dragons saw their season come to an end with a 19-23 overall record and 6-13 mark in the CAA.

JMU hit .404 as a team in the doubleheader while limiting Drexel to a .122 batting average. Junior catcher Erica Field went 4-for-6 with a home run, three RBIs and a run, as she set a new single-season record for hits, with 72, and concluded the regular season with a CAA-best 75 base hits. Freshman infielder Morgan Tolle was 3-for-5 with a RBI and run while sophomore outfielder Taylor Newton hit 3-for-6 with a RBI and two runs. The Dukes also saw home runs by junior pitcher/infielder Jailyn Ford and freshman pitcher/infielder Megan Good.

Madison opens CAA Championship play on Wednesday, May 6 at noon as the top seed and will face fourth-seeded Towson (35-20, 10-11 CAA). CLICK HERE for more information regarding next week's CAA Softball Championship

Game 1: #19/20 JMU 9, Drexel 0 (F/5)
Freshman pitcher Megan Good tossed her second career no-hitter in as many weeks to lead James Madison to a 9-0 triumph over Drexel in game one of the doubleheader.

Good improved to 26-0 on the season after the Dukes committed just one error in the five-inning, run-rule win. In her five innings of work, she struck out seven Drexel batters without allowing a single walk, en route to the fifth no-hitter in JMU softball history.

The Dukes compiled 11 hits and three walks, including three players who produced multi-hit games. Junior Erica Field was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, sophomore Taylor Newton was 2-for-3 with two runs and freshman Morgan Tolle went 2-for-2 with a RBI and run.

JMU opened the game with a three-run first inning. Sophomore Niki Prince led off with a triple to right center and came home to score on the next at-bat when Field singled through the left side. Prince's run not only gave JMU a 1-0 lead but also represented her single-season record with 51 runs scored. Two batters later, junior Jailyn Ford belted her 11th home run of the season, a two-run shot, to extend the lead to 3-0. It was also Ford's 35th career homer, tying former Duke Ashley Burnham (2009-12).

The Dukes tacked on another score in the second on a RBI-single by Field to make it 4-0, and later added two more runs in the third. With runners on first and second with nobody out, junior Hannah Hayes singled to center, scoring Ford from second base. After a successful sacrifice bunt, Newton came around to score on a Tolle single to center, giving the Dukes a 6-0 lead.

Madison threatened again in the fourth and struck for three more to give the hosts a 9-0 advantage. After loaded the bases, Hayes walks, plating Good from third and freshman Jessica Mrozek ripped a pinch-hit double to right center, scoring both Ford and Newton for the game's final runs.

Drexel managed to only hit three balls out of the infield, two fly outs and the fielding error. Taylor Lee (16-13) took the loss after conceding six runs and eight hits in only two innings pitched. Katie Haley threw the other two frames, allowing three unearned runs and three hits.

Game 2: #19/20 JMU 3, Drexel 2
James Madison produced back-to-back home runs and held off Drexel in the regular-season finale, 3-2, to complete the regular season with an unbeaten record in CAA play.

Junior Erica Field was 2-for-3 with a home run while freshman Megan Good also went 2-for-3 with a homer and two runs. Junior Jailyn Ford racked up her 12th straight win, improving to 15-4 on the season after giving up only one runs and four hits, to go with six strikeouts in five innings pitched. Senior Heather Kiefer came in to record her first save of the year, conceding a run and hit with a pair of strikeouts over two innings of work.

The Dukes claimed a 1-0 in the first off the bat of sophomore Taylor Newton. With runners on first and second, Newton smacked a single to left, scoring Good all the way from second base.

In the third, JMU tripled their lead after utilizing back-to-back homers. Field led off the frame with her eighth home run of the year over the left-center wall to give the Dukes a 2-0 advantage. Good extended the lead to 3-0 just three pitches later with her ninth career long ball deep to left field.

Drexel got a run back in the fourth when Leticia Matsuoka, playing in her final collegiate game, went deep to left center for a homer run, making it 3-1. The Dragons got to within one run after Kuroda homered to center to lead off the seventh buy Kiefer earned the save after she struck out the following two batters and forced a ground out to third for the final out of the ball game.

Taylor Lee (16-14) dropped her second decision of the day after surrendering three runs and eight hits in six innings. Matsuoka was the lone DU player to record two hits, as she went 2-for-3 in the finale.