JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University's softball team practiced resiliency on Saturday afternoon as it hosted Savannah State in a 10-inning ballgame.  JU maintained its lead through the seventh inning when the Tigers tallied five runs to take their first edge. The Dolphins responded by tying the ballgame at 8-8 before Charli Bradshaw sent a single to right field to earn the Fins the 10-9 victory.

It didn't take long – the bottom of the first - for the Dolphins to slap a run on the board as Victoria Brown tagged the ball beyond the left field wall for a solo shot and JU's early 1-0 lead. In the next inning, Savannah State was forced to go three up and three down on a fly out, ground out and strikeout, and the Dolphins used their hitting opportunity to plate a pair of runs on the bats of Kristen Griffith and Courtney Smith.

Jacksonville held the Tigers scoreless through two before finding itself in a bit of a jam in the third. SSU's leadoff hitter reached first on a throwing error, the first of four in the inning, and the Tigers benefited from the Dolphin mistakes to score a pair of runs and cut their deficit to one, 3-2.

Providing the Dolphins with a little more breathing room, Brooke Smith singled down the left line to bring Brooke Hardy around the bases in the fourth inning before Torian Wright inched her Tigers again within one on a solo homer in the fifth.

The score remained 4-3 until the top of the seventh when four hits, culminated by a three-run homer, provided the Tigers an 8-4 lead. The shot to right center wrapped Brown's time on the mound as the Dolphins called upon Taylor Rossman to strike out the next three batters.

JU weathered the setback with a tremendous rally. Courtney Smith led off the inning with a walk and Brown cranked her second home run of the game to bring them both home and close the gap to two. Ashley Simon followed Brown with a double and later scored on a Bradshaw single.  

After Lexie Ballard walked, Griffith tied the ballgame at 8-8 when she reached on a fielder's choice that brought Blaise Brooks home.

Both teams scored a run in the ninth and after the Dolphins' defense recorded three straight outs, they preceded to end the game in walk-off fashion.

Simon started the bottom of the ninth on second base and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Emily Sanchez. With no outs and a runner on third, Bradshaw sent the ball to right field, scoring Simon and concluding the game.

Brown concluded the ballgame with six earned runs on seven hits; she also struck out five. Rossman earned her third win of the season, pitching three innings and allowing one run, none earned, with four strike outs.

"We continue to show tenacity and the ability to come from behind, but I'm really looking forward to us being faster starters," said Head Coach Jennifer Steele. "We take too many innings before we start playing high level softball. We are a tough team during innings 5, 6, and 7."

"Taylor did a nice job," continued Steele. "It's never easy to come in late, after a few big hits, when it's raining and you're down 4 runs. I'm proud of how tough she was. She gave us a chance to stay in the ballgame."

Jacksonville crowns play of the Dolphin Classic with another tango against Savannah State at 3 p.m. on   Sunday, March 1.