Softball Smashes Three Homers in Doubleheader Sweep of VT

Wednesday, April 2

Blacksburg, Va.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

24-11

Virginia Tech

19-15

James Madison

Virginia Tech

Softball Smashes Three Homers in Doubleheader Sweep of VT

4/3/2014 1:22:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BLACKSBURG, Va., April 2, 2014 – Sophomore pitcher/first baseman Jailyn Ford (Hot Springs, Va./Bath County) earned a win and a save in the circle and hit two home runs at the plate to help power the James Madison softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Wednesday.

JMU swept a doubleheader from Virginia Tech for the first time in school history. It improved to 25-11 on the season and 9-4 all-time against the Hokies. Tech had its three-game winning streak snapped as it fell to 19-16 overall.

Ford earned the save in game two after coming in to throw three innings of shutout relief. She limited Tech to two hits and a walk in earning her second save of the year. Junior pitcher Heather Kiefer (Potomac Falls, Va./Potomac Falls) picked up the win to improve to 11-5 on the season. The right-hander gave up four runs, two earned, on six hits in four innings of work. She struck out one and did not walk a batter.

Three pitchers combined to give up nine runs for Virginia Tech, six of which were earned. Maggie Tyler took the loss after allowing five runs on five hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings of work.

Offensively, Ford went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored to power the Dukes. Sophomore second baseman Hannah Hayes (LaCrosse, Va./Kenston Forest) contributed two hits, a double and two RBIs in four at-bats while senior first baseman Cassidy Clayton (Acton, Mass./Acton Boxborough) went 1-for-2 with a home run.

Second baseman Kylie McGoldrick smacked a homer as part of a 2-for-4 showing with two RBIs and a run scored that set the tone offensively for the Hokies. Designated player Logan Spaw added a double and a single in three trips to the plate while Amanda Ake recorded a single in her only at-bat of the game.

JMU scored two runs in the top of the first in game two, marking the sixth straight game it opened the scoring. Sophomore catcher Erica Field (Manassas, Va./Osbourn Park) jumpstarted the stanza with a two-out double to left field before Ford smashed a two-run homer off the scoreboard in right-center for the 2-0 advantage.

The lead climbed to 5-0 in the top of the second as Madison loaded the bases on singles by freshman outfielders Taylor Newton (Bradenton, Fla./Lakewood Ranch) and Mimi Morris (Kenilworth, Ill./New Trier) sandwiched around a Tech throwing error. Freshman center fielder Niki Prince (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) worked a bases loaded walk before Hayes capped the inning with a two-run single to center.

VT took advantage of two JMU errors in the bottom of the second to cut into the Madison lead with two unearned runs before the Dukes got both runs back with two unearned runs of their own in the top of the third. Prince had an RBI single in the inning while Newton led off the frame with a single and scored a run.

Ford added her second home run of the game, a solo shot, in the top of the fourth. She moved into a tie for fourth on JMU's all-time home run l