Image courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications
By Bennett Conlin (This content was originally published in our newsletter)
JMU beats Michigan – This is old news at this point, so we’ll be quick, but JMU used a tremendous Monday of softball to punch its ticket to the Super Regionals. Here’s how it happened:
- Megan Good – The redshirt senior threw all 14 innings on Monday and earned two victories while allowing just one run. She also broke a 0-0 tie in the second game with a solo homer to right center.
- Kate Gordon – She played an amazing Regional and started the scoring in the first game Monday with a solo home run.
- Sara Jubas – The sophomore homered Monday and added another RBI.
- Cambry Arnold – She made one of the best defensive plays in recent memory when she gunned down a Michigan runner at home plate with two outs in the fourth inning of the second game. The play preserved JMU’s 1-0 lead.
- Everyone – The entire team deserves credit for executing at a high level. It was a tremendous team effort.
Shameless plug – If you haven’t already, check out my article on the Regional victory and my thoughts on what it was like to watch the Dukes win three consecutive games to punch their ticket to the Supers.
UCLA awaits – After beating Michigan on a gray, 50-degree day, the Dukes head to Los Angeles for a few 70-degree days and some sun. The game against No. 2 UCLA is challenging, but the Dukes are playing in LA for a chance to earn a spot in the Women’s College World Series. Life is good.
What to expect – Here’s my full preview on the game. The bite-sized version is below.
- Rachel Garcia vs. Megan Good – This Super Regional features two of the three finalists for National Player of the Year. They’re two-way players, as they hit and pitch. They’re unbelievably good, and they’re the obvious storyline this weekend.
- UCLA is great – But the Bruins are 4-3 in their last seven games after starting the season 45-3. Is JMU facing UCLA at the right time?
- Bubba Nickels – Great name, better player. UCLA’s leadoff hitter is one of the hottest hitters in the country, and the Dukes will need to slow her down. She drove in 11 runs in the Los Angeles Regional.
- I have JMU winning in three games, but this series is a toss up.
The schedule – Tonight, the teams play at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU. They play Saturday night at 8 p.m. on ESPN and the teams will play Sunday (if necessary) at 4 p.m. on ESPNU.
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