The 25th-ranked James Madison softball team utilized a rally and a shutout to earn a twinbill sweep at North Carolina on Wednesday evening at Anderson Stadium.
The Dukes improved to 24-6 (3-0 CAA) on the season and have won 15 straight games, while the Tar Heels fell for the third and fourth straight outing, dropping their season mark to 21-9 (6-2 ACC).
Wednesday’s triumphs were also the first two ever for JMU at UNC as the Dukes have now won four consecutive outings with the Heels.
The Dukes return to action this weekend when they host the College of Charleston for a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series at Veterans Memorial Park. Saturday’s doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. while Sunday’s series finale is also set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Game One: #25 James Madison 5, North Carolina 3
Junior first baseman/pitcher Jailyn Ford threw four innings of relief, not allowing a single hit, as No. 25 James Madison rallied for a 5-3 victory against North Carolina in game one of the doubleheader at Anderson Stadium.
Ford allowed just three Carolina batters to reach base, on a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch, while striking out five batters to win her sixth straight game and improve to 9-4 this season. Junior catcher Erica Field produced a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI’s while also walking once more. Her two RBI’s moved her into third place all-time at JMU with 97.
The Dukes opened the scoring just two batters into the game as sophomore shortstop Niki Prince led off with a walk and Field followed her with a two-run home run, her fifth of the year, over the left center wall to give JMU an early 2-0 lead.
After the Tar Heels got a run back in the bottom half, they took the lead in the bottom of the third with one swing. Taylor Wike led off the frame with a single, and two batters later, Kristen Brown belted her team-leading 14th homer deep to left to give the hosts a 3-2 advantage.
JMU took advantage a Carolina error to recapture the lead in the top half of the fourth. A single by sophomore center fielder Taylor Newton and double to left center by junior left fielder Hannah Hayes put them in scoring position with no outs, and both scored after UNC’s Erin Satterfield threw the ball away on a routine grounder to third, giving the Dukes a 4-3 lead.
The Dukes tacked on one more in the sixth, producing three straight hits with two outs. Jessica Mrozek and Morgan Tolle both singled to the outfield and Tahli Moore scored Mrozek when she laced a double to left center, to double the JMU lead to 5-3.
Kaylee Carlson, who went the distance for UNC, took the loss in the circle, falling to 11-4 after conceding five runs (three earned) and nine hits, while striking out seven. Two Tar Heels had a pair of hits as Wike was 2-for-2 with two runs and two walks while Brown went 2-for-3 with her three-run home run in the third.
Freshman pitcher/first baseman Megan Good pitched the first three innings for JMU, allowing three runs and seven hits, before being replaced by Ford after facing one batter in the fourth.
Game Two: #25 James Madison 7, North Carolina 0
Freshman pitcher Megan Good threw five innings of no-hit softball as No. 25 James Madison two-hit North Carolina in a 7-0 win to cap off the sweep in game two at Anderson Stadium.
Good allowed just one hit and one walk in five innings pitched to improve to 13-0 this year while junior first basemanJailyn Ford came in relief for the second time in as many games to close things out, giving up just one hit in her two innings.
The Dukes produced 11 hits as a team, as four players accrued multi-hit evenings. Aside from the win in the circle, Good also went 2-for-4 with one RBI while Ford was also 2-for-4, driving in one and scoring another herself. Freshman second baseman Morgan Tolle hit 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI’s while sophomore right fielder Tahli Moore was 2-for-3 with a double and a run. Junior catcher Erica Field also scored twice for JMU.
The Dukes opened game two, just like they did the first, scoring two runs in the opening frame. With two runners on after a single and fielding error, Good lined a single to left field, scoring sophomore shortstop Niki Prince from second base. On the ensuing at-bat, Ford hit a single to center and Field scored to put the Dukes ahead 2-0.
Madison doubled the lead to 4-0 in the third inning. After loading the bases with only one out, Tolle hit a two-RBI single to right, scoring both Ford and sophomore utility player Caitlin Viafora.
The Dukes scored thrice more in the sixth as they nearly hit around the batting order in the frame. Moore led off with a double, advancing to third on an error, and JMU proceeded to have three straight singles up the middle by Field (scored Moore), Good and Ford, loading the bases. Newton made it 6-0 with a RBI walk and junior left fielder Hannah Hayes hit her first career sac fly to drive in JMU’s final run of the day.
UNC threatened in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs but Ford closed the door with a fly out to right. Sydney Matzko dropped to 6-4 after allowing four runs (one earned) and six hits in three innings of work. Kendra Lynch also surrendered three runs and four hits in two-and-a-third innings. The Tar Heels committed four errors in the defeat.
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