DUKES SLAM FOUR HOMERS IN DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP OF GEORGETOWN

Wednesday, March 21

Washington, D.C.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

Georgetown

DUKES SLAM FOUR HOMERS IN DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP OF GEORGETOWN

3/21/2007 4:00:00 AM | Softball

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 21, 2007 ? Power hitting and lights-out pitching were the keys to the Dukes winning a pair of games against Georgetown in non-conference softball. JMU won the first game 7-1 and the second 8-0 to give the Dukes a four-game winning streak, improving to 15-9 overall. The Dukes have won eight of their last nine games. The Hoyas fell to 6-20.

The Dukes pounded out 15 runs on 18 hits while holding the Hoyas to a single unearned run on eight hits. JMU put four balls over the fence with two players hitting their first home runs of the season. Six of the 18 hits were doubles and the Dukes also had a triple to go with the other extra-base hits.

Katie George (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) led off the second game with a home run to left field and the extra base hits kept coming for the Dukes. Brittney Lyddane (Manassas, Va./Osbourn Park) followed with a double and scored later in the first inning on a passed ball to give the Dukes a 2-0 lead.

JMU added four runs in the top of the second. Kaitlyn Wernsing (Clemmons, N.C./West Forsyth) scored off of a sacrifice fly to right field by George. Brittney Dyson (Waldorf, Md./Thomas Stone) came home when Lyddane hit her second double of the game. Lyddane scored on a fielder's choice and Julia Dominguez (Sterling, Va./Park View) came home when Lauren Mernin (Herndon, Va./Herndon) sent a double to right-center.

The Dukes held their 6-0 lead throughout the third and fourth innings and then added two more in the top of the fifth. Mernin hit her first collegiate home run to lead off the inning, and a George single plated Courtney Simons (Richmond, Va./Deep Run) to put the Dukes up 8-0 going into the bottom of the fifth.

Branden Moss (Richmond, Va./Trinity Episcopal) relieved Meredith Felts (Greenville, N.C) in the bottom of the fifth, facing four batters and striking out two of them to end the game.

Felts pitched four innings, giving up no runs, on three hits, and striking out four to earn her seventh victory of the season.

The first game began as a pitching dual with neither pitcher seeing more than four batters in an inning through the first three innings.

JMU broke the 0-0 tie when Dominguez hit a sacrifice fly to center field and George came home from third. Amber Kirk (Hamilton, Va./Loudoun County) followed with an RBI single to left field. Later in the inning, Simons hit a three-run home run to left-center field, which gave the Dukes a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the fourth.

Jenn Chavez (Upland, Calif./Upland) sent a ball over the left-center field fence for a two-run home run in the fifth inning to put the Dukes up 7-0.

The Hoyas got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Jennifer Connell hit a single to second base that plated Olivia Newhouse.

The rest of the game went scoreless as the Dukes won 7-1.

Jenny Clohan (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) pitched a complete game, giving up one unearned run, on four hits, and striking out nine to earn her fifth win of the season.

The Dukes begin conference play this weekend when they travel to Colonial Athletic Association opponent Hofstra. The Dukes and Pride are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 24 beginning at noon and a third game on Sunday, March 25 at noon.