Late Home Runs Lift Softball Past Delaware at CAA Championship

Friday, May 11

Hempstead, N.Y.

2:30 PM

James Madison University

30-25

Delaware

15-41-1

James Madison

Delaware

Late Home Runs Lift Softball Past Delaware at CAA Championship

5/11/2012 9:01:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Photo Gallery

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., May 11, 2012 – Three players hits home runs after entering the seventh inning tied and freshman right-hander Heather Kiefer (Potomac Falls, Va./Potomac Falls ) stranded a pair of runners on base with the tying run at the plate as the second-seeded James Madison softball team defeated fourth-seeded Delaware in the first elimination game at the Colonial Athletic Association Softball Championship on Friday.

JMU reached the 30-win plateau for the fifth time in school history as it improved to 30-25 overall and advances to face third-seeded Georgia State in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Delaware dropped to 15-41-1 overall and is eliminated from the tournament.

Kiefer, the CAA Rookie of the Year, tossed a complete game to earn the win, improving to 14-6 overall. She allowed three runs on nine hits. The freshman struck out three and did not walk a batter.

UD right-hander Chenxi Jiao pitched the first 6 2/3 innings to take the loss and drop to 8-25. She allowed six runs, four earned on nine hits and five walks while striking out two. Hannah Rust retired the only batter she faced in 1/3 inning of relief.

Offensively, Madison was led by sophomore shortstop Caitlin Sandy (Fayetteville, N.C./Jack Britt) who went 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs score and a RBI. Senior shortstop Ashley Burnham (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) added a double and two RBIs in two trips to the plate while junior center fielder Jasmine Butler (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange) went 1-for-3 with a home run, a run and two RBIs.

Third baseman Jessica Grisler paced the Delaware attack, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs and a RBI. Shortstop Alicea Coy added three hits in four at-bats while designated player Morgan Culver went 1-for-4 with two RBIs.

JMU broke up the early pitcher's duel in the top of the fifth inning as the two-time CAA Player of the Year Burnham delivered a two-out double for the game's first big blow. Junior right fielder Anna Klumpp (Culpeper, Va./Eastern View) led off the frame with a single down the left-field line and moved to second on a throwing error by Jiao. With two outs, Burnham worked a 1-1 count before driving the third offering from the Delaware right-hander into the left-center gap, scoring both Klumpp and Sandy.

The Blue Hens came back to tie the score in the bottom of the sixth inning. Grisler started the frame with a single into shallow right. Coy followed with a single to left and both runners moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt. With two in scoring position and one out, Mor