Saturday, March 4
Orlando, Fla.
5 PM ET
Mercer University
11-10
4
vs
0
#12 James Madison
15-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| James Madison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rodriguez, Maxine (2-2)
L: Alexander, O (5-1)
Batting:
2B: Lane, Megan 1 ; Andrew, Emma 1
HR: Walsh, Abby 1
RBI: Mauga, Quirisa 1 ; Walsh, Abby 3
SH: Lane, Megan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Miller, Taylor 2 ; Lane, Megan 1 ; Walsh, Abby 1
Batting:
2B: Gordon, K 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
INF
/ SoftballC/OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P/1B
/ Softball
1B
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
Mercer Upends No. 12 James Madison, 4-0, in Orlando
3/4/2017 8:41:00 PM | Softball
ORLANDO, Fla. – Maxine Rodriguez threw a complete-game shutout and Abby Walsh hit a key three-run home run in the first inning to help Mercer defeat No. 12 (USA Today/NFCA) James Madison, 4-0, Saturday afternoon in the D9 Citrus Classic II.
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Rodriguez scattered six hits while tying a career-high six strikeouts over 113 pitches to hold the nationally-ranked Dukes (15-3) to only their second scoreless contest of the season. The senior right-hander ended the final three frames of the contest on strikeouts, including in the fifth inning when James Madison had a bases-loaded opportunity.
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Mercer (11-10) claimed an early 3-0 lead off the bat of Walsh, who blasted her team-best fifth home run to right-center field to score herself, Taylor Miller and Megan Lane. Mauga added a RBI-single in the top of the third to score Miller, giving Mercer its 4-0 advantage. All four runs came against JMU's Odicci Alexander, who entered the contest with a 2.04 ERA and 6-2 record.
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The win marked Mercer's first over a ranked opponent since it defeated No. 17 Minnesota, 5-2, on March 12, 2016 at the FAU Invitational in Boca Raton, Florida.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
No one was better for the job than Maxine Rodriguez. The senior right-hander rose to the occasion, keeping JMU's hitters off balance all night en route to tying her career-best of six strikeouts. It is no coincidence that Rodriguez was the winning pitcher in the Bears' win over No. 17 Minnesota last year.
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STAT OF THE GAME
The 4-0 win marked No. 12 James Madison's largest margin of defeat this season. It was only the second time all season the Dukes have been shutout as well.
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COACH DEFEO'S TAKE
"Today we played a complete game with great offense and defense along with unbelievable pitching from Max [Rodriguez]. I thought Max mixed her pitches really well and kept James Madison's batters guessing all game.
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"Our situational hitting came through today; that certainly helped us. I'm just so proud of the way we played."
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On Abby Walsh's home run:
"To see her bounce back from a tough game earlier against Bryant was phenomenal. The better the pitching is, the better she seems to hit. To have such a grasp of the zone as a freshman is great to see at this point."
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On Maxine Rodriguez getting the start in the circle:
"Max steps up and keeps good hitters off balance. She's a competitor and fought through seven innings…there was a little bit of a tight zone, but she did not let that affect her."
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PITCHER'S OF RECORD
For complete coverage of Mercer Softball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerUSoftball (Twitter), /MercerSoftball (Facebook) and @MercerUSoftball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Rodriguez scattered six hits while tying a career-high six strikeouts over 113 pitches to hold the nationally-ranked Dukes (15-3) to only their second scoreless contest of the season. The senior right-hander ended the final three frames of the contest on strikeouts, including in the fifth inning when James Madison had a bases-loaded opportunity.
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Mercer (11-10) claimed an early 3-0 lead off the bat of Walsh, who blasted her team-best fifth home run to right-center field to score herself, Taylor Miller and Megan Lane. Mauga added a RBI-single in the top of the third to score Miller, giving Mercer its 4-0 advantage. All four runs came against JMU's Odicci Alexander, who entered the contest with a 2.04 ERA and 6-2 record.
Â
The win marked Mercer's first over a ranked opponent since it defeated No. 17 Minnesota, 5-2, on March 12, 2016 at the FAU Invitational in Boca Raton, Florida.
Â
PLAYER OF THE GAME
No one was better for the job than Maxine Rodriguez. The senior right-hander rose to the occasion, keeping JMU's hitters off balance all night en route to tying her career-best of six strikeouts. It is no coincidence that Rodriguez was the winning pitcher in the Bears' win over No. 17 Minnesota last year.
Â
STAT OF THE GAME
The 4-0 win marked No. 12 James Madison's largest margin of defeat this season. It was only the second time all season the Dukes have been shutout as well.
Â
COACH DEFEO'S TAKE
"Today we played a complete game with great offense and defense along with unbelievable pitching from Max [Rodriguez]. I thought Max mixed her pitches really well and kept James Madison's batters guessing all game.
Â
"Our situational hitting came through today; that certainly helped us. I'm just so proud of the way we played."
Â
On Abby Walsh's home run:
"To see her bounce back from a tough game earlier against Bryant was phenomenal. The better the pitching is, the better she seems to hit. To have such a grasp of the zone as a freshman is great to see at this point."
Â
On Maxine Rodriguez getting the start in the circle:
"Max steps up and keeps good hitters off balance. She's a competitor and fought through seven innings…there was a little bit of a tight zone, but she did not let that affect her."
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PITCHER'S OF RECORD
- Win: Maxine Rodriguez, Mercer (2-2)
- Loss: Odicci Alexander, James Madison (5-3)
- Mercer: 11-10
- James Madison: 15-3
- Walsh's third-inning long ball gave the Dukes their first deficit of the weekend at the D9 Citrus Classic II.
- Three Bears – Walsh (12), Miller (12) and Caroline Taylor (10) – have streaks of at least 10 straight games reaching base.
- Taylor owns a team-best seven-game hit streak after a 1-for-3 performance Saturday.
- Rodriguez went the distance for the first time this season.
- Miller's two-hit performance was her fifth multi-hit game of the year.
- Both Lane and Emma Andrew tacked on doubles to Mercer's seven total hits.
- Mercer: vs. Boston College, 10 a.m. Sunday, March 5 in Orlando, Fla.
- James Madison: vs. Kansas, 10 a.m. Sunday, March 5 in Orlando, Fla.
For complete coverage of Mercer Softball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerUSoftball (Twitter), /MercerSoftball (Facebook) and @MercerUSoftball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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