University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Heads South For Weekend Series at No. 6 James Madison
4/22/2016 11:06:00 AM | Softball
• Video (Sunday)
• Live Stats
HARRISONBURG, Va. -- The University of Delaware softball team will face a tough challenge this weekend when the Blue Hens head to sixth-ranked James Madison for a three-game series with the Dukes.
The Blue Hens and Dukes will play a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, followed by a 2 p.m. single game on Sunday at Veterans Memorial Park. Live stats will be available for all three games, while Sunday's contest will be livestreamed at www.jmusports.com.
Delaware enters the weekend having won 11 of its last 13 games to improve to 26-14 overall, and the Blue Hens sit in second place in the CAA standings with an 8-4 league mark. JMU is 34-3 on the season, including a perfect 12-0 in conference play.
UD is coming off an impressive series win over Hofstra last weekend, as the Blue Hens defeated the Pride for the first time since the 2006 season. Delaware rallied from a five-run deficit to post a 10-6 win during Sunday's rubber game, the first time Hofstra had allowed double digit runs in a CAA contest since 2007.
Mariah Kondravy continues to pace the UD lineup with a .385 batting average, 50 hits, 13 doubles and 36 RBI, while Leanna Gearhart is hitting .362 with league-highs of 45 runs scored, six triples and 39 stolen bases. Gearhart has already set UD single season records for runs scored and steals, and currently is tied for fourth in Division I in steals.
Hannah George, Mattie Nuccio and Gabby Klecko are all hitting over .330 for the Blue Hens, while Anna Steinmetz currently ranks second in the CAA with 11 homers and third with 34 RBI.
Carolyn Szymanski is 10-7 with a 2.51 ERA in the circle for the Blue Hens, and she is one victory shy of becoming the fifth pitcher in UD history to reach the 40-wins mark. Kiersten Coffman currently ranks second in the league with 16 victories and third with 112 strikeouts.
JMU is one of only two Division I teams with just three losses on the season, along with top-ranked Florida, and currently ranks third in the nation with a 1.18 team earned run average. Megan Good leads the nation with 23 wins and ranks fifth with a 0.92 ERA for the Dukes, while Jailyn Ford is 14-1 with a 0.93 ERA. JMU has allowed just 12 runs in its 12 CAA games so far this season.
Morgan Tolle ranks third in the CAA with 36 runs scored and fifth with a .382 batting average to lead the JMU attack, while Madyson Moran is hitting .337 and Erica Field carries a .331 average into the weekend.
JMU leads the all-time series with the Blue Hens, 32-13, and the Dukes have won the last 11 meetings between the two schools. Delaware's last win over JMU was a 7-4 triumph in Harrisonburg on Apr. 15, 2012. Last year the Dukes swept a three-game series in Newark by a combined score of 33-3.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kevin Tritt at: ktritt@udel.edu (email) / 302-831-8715 (office) / 302-383-5005 (cell)
