March 28, 2010
Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va. - Early offensive success by James Madison led the Dukes to a 10-4 victory over the George Mason softball team in the two teams' Colonial Athletic Association series finale on Sunday afternoon at the George Mason Softball Complex.
JMU improved to 14-17 and 2-1 in CAA play as it took the rubber game of the series, while the Patriots dropped to 8-11 and 1-2 in conference.
Freshman Megan Blank led the Patriot offense with a 2-for-3, three-RBI game, while the Dukes saw five players with multi-hit games, paced by Katie Spitzer's 3-for-3, four-RBI day.
The Dukes struck early, taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. After a leadoff single by Burnham, she came home to score on a Shannon Moxey RBI single. Spitzer matched the feat with an RBI base hit through the right side for the second run and she came home on a sacrifice fly to right field by Caitlen Manning.
JMU repeated with a three-run inning in the second. Spitzer added another RBI with a single up the middle, and she was followed by RBI base hits from Haley Johnson and Manning which made the score 6-0. Two solo home runs by Courtney Simons and Ashley Burnham in the third inning added to the Dukes' lead, leaving the score 8-0.
Mason countered in the bottom half, taking advantage of a throwing error by Cara Stecher to put up three runs. Tori Dudley and Alyssa See both came home to score after being issued no-out walks, as did sophomore Rachael Davies on Megan Blank's two-RBI single through the middle of the infield, which cut the gap to 8-3.
JMU continued to find success with the long ball in the fifth inning as Spitzer lined a two-run home run over the left field wall to make the score 10-3. The Patriots answered with another run as Blank tallied one more RBI on her double to right-center field to close within six at 10-4, but it would be as close as Mason could get.
Sophomore Miranda Cranford took the loss and fell to 3-7 after allowing the first six runs in one and two-thirds innings of work. JMU's Stecher earned the victory and improved to 6-6.
Mason closes out its 21-game homestand this Wednesday when it hosts Georgetown for a 4 p.m. doubleheader.
