WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW built early leads in both games of its Colonial Athletic Association doubleheader against James Madison, but the Dukes recovered to earn a sweep of the weekend series over the Seahawks with two wins at Boseman Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Dukes, who ran their winning streak to nine games, stand 19-1 overall and 8-1 in the CAA. UNCW, meanwhile, dropped to 8-18 overall with a 4-5 mark in league play.
Junior
Janel Gamache paced the Seahawks' 17-hit attack by going 4-for-7 with two runs batted in and a run scored. Juniors
Jada Santiago and
Logan Bjorson each posted a 3-for-6 effort, while freshman
Tayler Vitola was 3-for-7 with a run scored and a stolen base.
Bjorson also threw 4.2 innings of scoreless relief in the circle, allowing just one run on four hits.
Redshirt senior
Madison Naujokas tallied five hits to lead James Madison in the doubleheader sweep, while redshirt junior
Lynsey Meeks contributed a 4-for-8 performance with two runs batted in for the Dukes, who outhit UNCW by a slim 18-17 margin.
How It Happened – Game 1: UNCW took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Santiago, but James Madison answered by scoring a pair of runs in the third and fifth frames for a 4-1 lead the Dukes did not relinquish. The Seahawks trimmed the margin to 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning on a two-run single from Gamache, but James Madison added an insurance run in the sixth to seal the win.
How It Happened – Game 2: The Seahawks plated a pair of runs in the opening frame on RBI singles by Santiago and Bjorson. The teams traded a run in the next two innings before James Madison scored five unanswered runs, including four in the fifth inning, to complete the scoring and the weekend sweep.
Notes of Interest: Gamache paced the Seahawks with five hits in the three-game series while Bjorson, Vitola and Santiago each added three hits … Gamache has now hit safely in six straight games … Vitola authored her team-leading 10th multi-hit effort of the season with a 2-for-4 showing in Sunday's second game … Santiago added her ninth multi-hit game in the twinbill opener … UNCW outhit an opponent for the seventh time this season after holding a 10-7 advantage in hits during the first game … UNCW stands 4-7 this season when scoring first and 5-11 when scoring in the first inning.
Up Next: UNCW finishes its five-game homestand on Wednesday, Apr. 14, when the Seahawks host Campbell for a single game at 6 p.m.
