JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville University softball team is back in the winner's circle and the spark couldn't have occurred at a better time. While it's not JU's final non-conference game of the season - the Fins host Georgia Southern in April – Wednesday's victories over Monmouth put the Dolphins in a good space before their Atlantic Sun opener on Saturday.
"We had four different goals today," said Head Coach Jennifer Steele, "draw five free bases (we had 7), strikeout 14 hitters (finished with 14), make a diving play four different times (we had 4), and throw out every base runner attempting to steal. We were successful in three-fourths of our goals and walked away with the sweep."
Aside from returning to their winning ways, the Dolphins can take pride in the resurgence of their fielding and hitting efforts. Jacksonville limited itself to two errors in the doubleheader, a dramatic reduction from the number committed in last week's series against Samford.
"We finally saw our bats come alive," continued Steele. "It had been a while since we had really stroked it and we got solid contact from a few different hitters. The four homeruns obviously helped, but we hit a lot of hard ground balls and forced their defense to pick it up and throw it."
"I'm also really happy with the way we pitched today. We talked in our pre-game meeting about having a strikeout mentality and attacking the hitters. Both VB and Taylor spun the ball really well and got a bunch of swings and misses. If they continue to go forward with that mindset, it will take the pressure off the defense."
Jacksonville 4, Monmouth 1
Monmouth grabbed a quick 1-0 lead in the first, but the Dolphins answered in the home half of the frame when an illegal pitch brought home a runner to tie the ballgame at 1-1.
Offensively, Jacksonville outhit the Hawks, 7-4, and found production across the lineup. Charli Bradshaw launched her second home run of the season to score two in the third while Lexie Ballard tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Also key to the Dolphins' success – Victoria Brown. The right-handed pitcher worked a complete game with 7.0 innings, allowing one run and striking out a season-high nine.
Jacksonville 7, Monmouth 2
Taylor Rossman received the start on the mound, pitching 6.1 innings, surrendering four hits and fanning five.
Similar to the opening game, Monmouth jumped out 1-0 after their leadoff hitter singled, stole both second and third base and was brought home on a sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the stanza, the Dolphins recorded three hits, highlighted by the final tag – a 2-RBI double by Bradshaw.
The squads were stalled at 2-2 in the bottom of third until back-to-back solo home runs from Brown and Ashley Simon provided the Dolphins their second lead of the game.
Jacksonville later took the lead for good when, Simon, a senior from Enterprise, Ala., notched her second homer of the game with a 2-RBI shot to left before the Dolphins added an insurance run in the sixth.
After Rossman, reliever Blaise Brooks made her season debut in the circle and walked away with the save. She entered the game for the final two outs and allowed one hit.
In a perfect game at the plate, Brown went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs while Simon finished 3-for-4, recording three runs and three RBIs.
Fin Facts
- JU wrapped the day with 17 hits and 11 runs
- The Dolphins' pitchers combined for two earned runs, eight hits, one walk and 14 strike outs
- Bradshaw tallied a team-high four RBIs (two in each game)
- Both Brown and Simon notched four hits each
Atlantic Sun play commences Saturday, March 21 in a three-game set against USC Upstate. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
