CLEARWATER, Fla. – No. 14/16 James Madison (7-1) softball's pitching dominated Saturday's slate at the Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Invitational shutting out Wisconsin 4-0 and Binghamton 8-0 at the Eddie C. Moore Sports Complex.
Junior
Megan Good and freshman
Odicci Alexander combined for four hits and 18 strikeouts while only issuing one walk during 12.0 innings of work.
Good (4-0) dealt a perfect game through 5.2 innings against the Badgers (7-1) before allowing her lone hit, an infield single. She struck out 13 batters in her third shutout of the season. Alexander (3-1) allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out five in JMU's run-rule victory over Binghamton (1-4). She has dealt back-to-back shutouts for the Dukes.
The Dukes got off to an early start against the Badgers. After junior
Morgan Tolle drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first, Good knocked an RBI single to put the Dukes up 1-0. Senior
Taylor Newton drew the second walk of the inning before freshman
Madison Naujokas and senior
Niki Prince knocked back-to-back singles to drive in an RBI each to push the JMU lead to 3-0.
JMU added its final run of the game as Alexander drove home senior
Madyson Moran with an RBI double. Good kept Wisconsin off the bases until the top of sixth as Wisconsin beat out an infield single to break up Good's perfect game bid.
In the nightcap against Binghamton, the Dukes used a big first inning to jump out to an early lead. Freshman
Cambry Arnold flashed speed with a one-out bunt single before swiping second and advancing to third on a Binghamton error. Good drove Arnold home on a fielder's choice to put the Dukes up 1-0.
Newton followed drawing a walk before Naujokas doubled to right field to score a run. Prince followed with a sacrifice fly and Moran slugged her second triple of the season to pick up an RBI and push JMU's lead to 4-0 after the first.
The Bearcats kept JMU off the board until the offense rallied in the bottom of the fifth. After Newton's second walk of the game, sophomore
Paige Mitchell singled through the right side to put two Dukes on base. Prince and Moran knocked back-to-back singles to score three runs and push JMU's lead to 7-0.
The Dukes loaded the bases with two outs and Good drew a bases-loaded walk to walk off an 8-0 run-rule victory.
QUOTING COACH DEAN
"Our pitchers did a nice job working ahead and keeping the flow of the game going. We played some pretty good defense. We had some dry innings, but we swung the bats when we needed to. We're just trying to progress."
TWEET OF THE GAME
UP NEXT
James Madison closes out the Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Invitational on Sunday, Feb. 19 with an 11:45 a.m. contest with Saint Joseph's.