JMU SOFTBALL SPLITS DOUBLEHEADER AT DELAWARE

Saturday, April 9

Newark, Del.

12:00 p.m.

James Madison University

24-11, 6-1

Delaware

11-25, 2-5

James Madison

Delaware

4/9/2011 8:47:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

NEWARK, Del., April 9, 2011 – James Madison and Delaware traded come-from-behind, three-run rallies to earn a split in Saturday's Colonial Athletic Association doubleheader at the Delaware Softball Stadium in Newark, Del. JMU won game one 5-4 before dropping the nightcap 4-3.

The Dukes ran their record to 24-12 overall and 6-2 in the CAA while Delaware went to 12-25 and 3-5 in league play.

UD trailed 3-0 in game two, but rallied for a run in the fifth and three in the sixth to sneak past JMU. Amanda Stacevicz pitched four innings of shutout relief to earn the win and improve to 8-8 on the season. She allowed three hits and a walk while striking out two. Kathleen Conway drew the start and gave up three runs, two earned, of five hits and two walks in three innings pitched.

Senior right-hander Olivia McPherson (Liberty, N.C./Southern Alamance) took the loss to drop to 9-6. She gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four.

First baseman Bertie Lake went 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs to pace the Delaware offense. Right fielder Rachel Jones chipped in two hits while left fielder Jenny Richards added a hit and a walk.

Sophomore center fielder Jasmine Butler (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange) had two hits and two RBIs to lead JMU while junior shortstop Ashley Burnham (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) went 2-for-4 with a run score. Redshirt senior right fielder Chel'sea Ryan (Sandston, Va./Henrico) added two hits, a run and a RBI in three at-bats.

Madison took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a RBI single by Ryan. The Dukes loaded the bases on a walk, a fielding error and a hit by pitch before Ryan hit a floater over the second baseman's head for the run-scoring single.

JMU added two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Ryan initiated the inning with an infield single before moving to third on a single to center field by Burnham. Burnham advanced to second on the throw to third and both runners came around to score on a two-out single by Butler.

The Blue Hens got a run back in the bottom of the fifth. After loading the bases with one out on two singles sandwiched around a walk, center fielder Lara Andrews hit a sacrifice fly to center field. McPherson avoided further damage by getting Stacevicz to ground out back to the pitcher to end the threat.

Delaware took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning on a three-run home run by Lake. The Blue Hens got singles from Jones and pinch hitter Brittney Noons to put two runners on with two outs. Lake worked a 3-2 count before driving McPherson's offering out over the left-field fence.