Blue Hens Play First CAA Home Series This Weekend as Delaware Hosts James Madison
April 8, 2011
Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
• Live Stats
NEWARK, Del. -- After opening its Colonial Athletic Association schedule with a pair of road series, the Blue Hen softball team welcomes James Madison this weekend for a three-game series at the Delaware Softball Stadium. The Blue Hens and Dukes will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday, with action on both days scheduled to begin at 12 noon.
The Blue Hens, who will carry an 11-24 record into the weekend, are 2-4 in the conference and sit in fifth place after taking two of three games at George Mason before suffering a series sweep at Hofstra. The Dukes (23-11) are currently tied for second place in the league standings at 5-1 after winning two of three at UNC Wilmington before sweeping the Patriots last weekend.
Delaware, coming off a 5-4 victory over Saint Joseph’s on Wednesday, is paced by freshman second baseman Michelle McKinnon who continues to lead the squad with a .326 batting average. Amanda Stacevicz is hitting .291 and is tied for the team lead with McKinnon with 30 hits, while sophomore centerfielder Lara Andrews (at right) is batting .286 on the season. Stacevicz, who picked up the victory against the Hawks, is 7-8 with a 3.20 earned run average in the circle for the Blue Hens.
The Dukes are the top hitting team in the CAA and are led by Ashley Burnham, who leads the league with 44 hits, 35 runs scored, 28 RBI, five triples and 11 home runs. Burnham is hitting .388 for the season, second in the conference behind only her teammate Jasmine Butler, who is batting .406 with 43 hits on the year. Caitlen Manning, who is hitting .330, ranks third in the league with 34 hits, behind only Burnham and Butler, and is tied for the CAA lead with eight doubles along with Delaware leftfielder Jenny Richards.
Olivia McPherson leads the James Madison pitching staff with a 9-5 record and a 2.10 ERA, while Cara Stecher is 10-1 with a 2.84 earned run average.
The Dukes lead the all-time series with the Blue Hens, 18-10, and have taken two of three games from Delaware in each of the past two seasons.
This weekend’s games will also feature a pair of promotions, as on Saturday the first 125 fans in attendance will receive a Delaware blue and yellow foam mitt. Also on Saturday the concession stand, which will now be open during all softball weekend games, will feature $1 hot dogs. Following Sunday’s contest the entire Blue Hen softball team will participate in a postgame autograph session with the squad’s 2011 schedule poster.
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