MOBILE, Ala. – The Jacksonville University softball team stormed an amazing comeback, using a five-run inning in the top of the seventh to tie Sam Houston at 9-9, but dropped its first game of the South Alabama Invitational on a walk-off home run in the ninth.

Bearkats pitcher Meme Quinn held the Dolphins (5-7) to one run on two hits in the first five innings of action before JU turned a two-run deficit into a 4-3 lead in the sixth.

Victoria Brown opened the frame with a walk and Ashley Simon used her at-bat to single to left field. With runners on second and third, Charli Bradshaw sliced the ball down the left field line to bring Brown home on an RBI single.

Following Bradshaw's lead and pouncing on the Sam Houston pitching change, Emily Sanchez doubled to right center, plating two in the process to give the Dolphins their first lead of the ballgame.

The slight edge, however, didn't last long as the Bearkats also recorded a three-run frame in the bottom of the sixth.

The seventh inning captured a combined eight runs – five for JU and three for SHSU. Simon, who finished 3-for-5 in the affair, continued her successful senior campaign with an RBI double to left center. On the very next at-bat, Lexie Ballard accounted for the Dolphins' next three runs as she homered to left and Sanchez crowned JU's scoring stretch with a solo homer, also to left, for the Dolphins' 9-6 lead.

With two outs and just one batter away from pulling off the upset, back-to-back Sam Houston doubles tied the game for the second time at 9-all.

Neither team posed a threat in the eighth inning, but unfortunately for the Dolphins, after giving up the homer to Sanchez in the seventh, Quinn and the Bearkat defense recorded seven straight outs.

Brown also pitched her best stuff but with two outs in the ninth she surrendered a solo shot to close the game.

Sanchez went 3-for-4 with three RBIs while Brown pitched a complete game, allowing 10 runs, just three earned, on 17 hits in 8.2 innings pitched.