No. 13 JMU Tops Elon 7-1 on Senior Day

Saturday, May 6

Harrisonburg, Va.

1 p.m.

James Madison University

47-6, 0

Elon

32-21, 0

Elon

James Madison

5/6/2017 5:20:00 PM | Softball

Box Score @JMUSoftball Box Score Highlights Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – No. 13/14 James Madison softball closed the regular season with a 7-1 "Senior Day" victory over Elon Saturday afternoon inside Veterans Memorial Park.

Now winning 16 consecutive games, JMU closed the regular season with a 47-6 overall record with an 18-2 mark in Colonial Athletic Association play. Elon stumbled to 32-21 with a 9-11 mark in league action.

Two Dukes tallied multi-RBI games in Saturday's regular-season finale. Freshman infielder Madison Naujokas drove in the game-winning run with a two-RBI single, her lone hit in the contest. Junior Jessica Mrozek launched her second home run of the Elon series with a two-run, pinch-hit bomb. Senior outfield Taylor Newton went 1-for-1 with a double and two walks while scoring a team-best two runs.

Junior Megan Good closed the season with a victory to improve to 34-1 in the circle. Good allowed one unearned run off three hits while striking out four. Freshman Odicci Alexander tossed one inning of relief while tallying a strikeout.

Elon manufactured an unearned run with help of two JMU errors in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead over the Dukes. JMU answered by loading the bases in the bottom of the second with two walks and a bunt single by senior infielder Madyson Moran. An Elon error on senior infielder Niki Prince's comebacker to the pitcher allowed a run to score to tie the game at 1-1.

Naujokas provided the lead with a single to right field that allowed two runs to cross home plate before Prince scooted home on a wild pitch to push the lead to 4-1. Elon was able to turn a double play on junior infielder Morgan Tolle's high fly ball to right field, but Naujokas was able to score on the play to extend the lead to 5-1 in favor of JMU.

After three scoreless inning, Mrozek delivered the final blow of the game with a pinch-hit home run to center field to cap a 7-1 triumph.

QUOTING COACH DEAN
"The exciting thing for me is that I am still not sure we are playing our best ball yet. That's exciting as we head into postseason. We still have room for improvement. "

TWEET OF THE GAME

Congratulations to our 2017 graduates! ?????? #GoDukes pic.twitter.com/Kqh0mz9CiG
— JMU Softball (@JMUSoftball) May 6, 2017

ALL THEY DO IS WIN
Today, the Dukes honored the 2017 senior class that will go down as the winningest class in program history. Heading into the postseason, the senior class has notched a 190-37 career record. The senior Dukes have won two Colonial Athletic Association Championships and have made three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, winning JMU's first Regional title last season to advance and host the program's first NCAA Super Regional. The senior class has combined for six All-CAA selections and six All-NFCA Northeast Region honors while setting three individual program records during their time.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Jessica Mrozek slugs her second pinch-hit home run of the Elon series.

PHOTO OF THE GAME - VIEW FULL GALLERY

The 2017 senior class with JMU President Jonathan Alger after a special postgame graduation ceremony.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
After appearing in 18 games to start her senior campaign, Tahli Moore suffered an injury that sidelined her for the majority of her senior campaign until today. Making her first appearance since March 11 at East Carolina, Moore entered Saturday's game as a pinch runner on Senior Day.

UP NEXT
James Madison will open the Colonial Athletic Association Championship on Wednesday, May 10 facing the winner of the No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed matchup. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. The remaining tournament seeds will be determined following the conclusion of regular-season play on Sunday, May 7.