No. 24/25 James Madison produced three home runs while limiting UNCW to just one hit in a 10-0 Colonial Athletic Association softball victory in five innings on Sunday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Park.
The Dukes stretched their program-record win streak to 23 straight games, as they moved their season mark to 32-6 overall and 11-0 in CAA play. The Seahawks fell for the sixth consecutive outing, as they dropped to 15-21 and 2-10. This win also marked the fourth straight season that JMU swept the season series with UNCW.
Freshman pitcher Megan Good picked up the win in the circle, improving to 19-0 this year after conceding just one hit in four innings pitched, while striking out six UNCW batters. Junior first baseman Jailyn Ford came in to throw one inning of relief, as she closed out the game striking out two more batters in the fifth.
Sophomore center fielder Taylor Newton led the offense by going 3-for-3 with a home run, a game-high four RBI’s and two stolen bases. Sophomore right fielder Tahli Moore was the other Duke to accrue a multi-hit game on 2-for-2 hitting with two runs and a stolen base. Junior catcher Erica Field drove in three runs with a single swing while sophomore shortstop Niki Prince and Good joined Newton with one homer each.
The Dukes took an early 1-0 lead in the first on a Newton single to right, which scored Field from second base. They tacked on two more in the second as Prince lifted a two-run home run, her second of the season, over the left field wall to make it 3-0 JMU.
After adding another score in the third on a solo homer deep to center by Good, which was her second in as many days, the Dukes hit around the order in the fourth, scoring six runs on just four hits to extend the advantage to 10-0.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, Field ripped a double through the left side, scoring all three runners for a 7-0 lead. After a recorded out and a Ford walk, Newton ripped a three-run home run to left to complete the game’s scoring.
Sarah Davis took the loss for the Seahawks, giving up 10 runs on nine hits, to go with four walks in 3.1 innings pitched. UNCW’s lone hit came with two outs in the top of the fourth, a single by Sarah Davis, as she would account for the only base runner for the Seahawks in series finale.
The Dukes open up a seven-game road trip on Wednesday, April 15 when they travel to Greenville, N.C., to face East Carolina for a mid-week doubleheader. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
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Chris Graham
