Alexander Throws A No-Hitter And Sets Tournament Record With 16 Strikeouts As JMU Defeats Delaware
Rob Washburn
Box Score CAA Championship Central Photo Gallery
HARRISONBURG, Va. (May 12, 2021) – James Madison senior Odicci Alexander threw the third complete-game no-hitter in CAA Softball Championship history and set a new tournament record with 16 strikeouts as the top-seeded Dukes defeated No. 4 Delaware, 5-0, Wednesday evening at JMU’s Veterans Memorial Park.
JMU (32-1), which is ranked No. 22 nationally, will face second-seeded Drexel at 11 a.m. on Thursday in the winner’s bracket. Delaware (23-8) will play either Elon or Hofstra in an elimination game at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
Alexander (11-0) was dominant throughout, striking out the side three times and only allowing two balls to leave the infield. The 16 strikeouts tied the JMU program record and broke the CAA Tournament mark of 14 set by Hofstra’s Olivia Galati in 2012 and Georgia State’s Elizabeth Hyman in 2006. She joins Galati, who threw a no-hitter in 2010 and a perfect game in 2013, as the only pitcher to fire a no-hitter in the tournament.
The Dukes were led offensively by senior outfielder Kate Gordon, who was 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs, and junior shortstop Sara Jubas, who also went 2-for-4 with a solo homer.
Gordon led off the bottom of the first with her 12
th homer of the season to right field, and then added her team-leading 13
th to left field to start the fifth inning. Jubas followed with her ninth long ball of the year to make it 3-0 and Lynsey Meeks added a two-run single later in the frame to cap the scoring.
Delaware got a strong pitching performance from Emily Winburn, who limited the Dukes to two runs on four hits over 4.0 innings. Earlier in the day, she fired a complete-game, two-hit shutout as the Blue Hens edged Hofstra, 1-0.
The victory extended JMU’s winning streak to 22 games, which is the longest in Division I.