HARRISONBURG, VA -- The University of Delaware softball team closed out its 2008 season with a 4-1 loss at James Madison Sunday afternoon at the JMU Softball Complex.

The Blue Hens, who end their season 22-26 overall, tied the school record for conference losses in a season with a 4-17 Colonial Athletic Association mark. The Dukes swept the three-game weekend series while improving to 30-20 overall and 14-6 in the league.

Delaware opened the scoring in the top of the first when Katie Lee (at right) singled to shortstop, stole second and third, and scored on a one-out single up the middle by Quinn Megargel.

However the Dukes answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first off UD starting pitcher Samantha Shawn. Shannon Moxey led off the frame with a walk, and she advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Courtney Simons. Moxey then went to third on a single to rightfield by Amber Kirk, who moved to second on the throw to the plate. Jenn Chavez followed with a groundball to shortstop, and Moxey scored when Kirk was thrown out at third base. Chavez then went to second when Julia Dominguez walked and came around to score on a single up the middle by Kaitlyn Wernsing.

Delaware loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, but Dukes starting pitcher Meredith Felts got Megargel to fly out to centerfield to end the inning.

James Madison added a run in the bottom of the inning off Blue Hen reliever Anne Marie Pagano, as Simons led off with single down the rightfield line and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kirk. Simons then went to third on a groundout by Chavez, and after Dominguez walked, Simons scored when Wernsing singled to shortstop.

Katie Cochran led off the bottom of the sixth with a single up the middle for the Dukes, and she moved to second on a single up the middle by Moxey. Cochran was then thrown out at third when Simons hit a groundball to shortstop, but Kirk followed with a single to center to drive home Moxey with James Madison’s fourth run of the game.

Felts improved to 15-8 for James Madison after allowing one earned run on five hits in the first five innings, while Jenny Clohan picked up her fourth save of the year as she surrendered three hits in two scoreless innings of relief. Shawn dropped to 9-15 for the Blue Hens after allowing three earned runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings of work, while Pagano gave up one earned run on two hits in two thirds of an inning.

Lee went 3 for 4 with a triple, run scored and two stolen bases in her final game as a Blue Hen, while Megargel was 1 for 4 with an RBI. Michelle Grap, Mary Ann Magee and Amanda Nyisztor each had singles for Delaware, while Shawn doubled in the seventh inning in her only at bat of the year.

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