WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Sophomore Kate Gordon went 3-for-3 and drove in six runs as James Madison clinched a Colonial Athletic Association series victory over UNCW with an 11-3 triumph at Boseman Field on Saturday afternoon.
The Dukes, who won 2-of-3 games against the Seahawks this weekend, upped their record to 24-8 overall and 5-1 in the CAA while UNCW fell to 10-19 on the season with a 1-5 mark against league opponents.
Gordon, who also drew a walk in the win, drove in two runs in the first inning with a single before adding a pair of two-run doubles to pace the Dukes' 11-hit attack. Senior Morgan Tolle also added three hits with two runs scored and two RBI while freshman contributed two hits and three runs scored.
Junior
Kali Jones led the Seahawks in the loss by going 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored while freshman
Carson Shaner drove in two runs with a double in the first inning.
Freshman Payton Buresch earned the win in the circle for James Madison, allowing three runs on nine hits in a complete-game effort. She also registered three strikeouts while improving to 12-4 on the season.
Junior
Haley Lenderman dropped to 3-5 for the Seahawks after giving up six runs on five hits in 1.1 innings.
How It Happened: James Madison scored 10 runs over the first three innings to take a commanding 10-2 lead. UNCW trimmed the deficit with a run in the bottom of the third inning before the Dukes answered with a RBI groundout from sophomore Odicci Alexander to secure the victory.
Notes: UNCW senior
Kelsey Bryan extended her hitting streak to four games after going 1-for-3 on Saturday … Shaner has now hit safely in three consecutive games while reaching base in each of her last six contests … Senior pitcher
Sarah Davis moved into fifth place on the Seahawks' all-time strikeout list after recording four strikeouts against the Dukes in 2.0 innings of work … The Burlington, N.C., product now has 286 strikeouts in her career … UNCW is now 8-for-9 in stolen base attempts over the last five games after stealing a pair of bases on Saturday.
Up Next: UNCW continues its eight-game homestand on Tuesday afternoon with a 5 p.m. non-conference outing against North Carolina. The Seahawks and the Tar Heels were originally slated to play on Mar. 14, but the game was postponed due to high winds and cold temperatures.
