TAMPA, Fla. – The Jacksonville University softball program met South Florida Wednesday where a pair of errors paved the way for five unearned runs in its 9-4 loss.

"We definitely came out a little flatfooted defensively," said Head Coach Jennifer Steele. "There were a couple of missed opportunities where we allowed USF to extend innings. They did a nice job hitting the ball hard once we gave them extra chances.

"I think the biggest thing we're struggling with is consistency. We had really good at-bats. We hit more hard-hit balls for outs than we did our base hits. Defensively, I think we need to get more comfortable playing the game at a fast pace because that's when we made our errors tonight - when they pushed the envelope and made us make decisions quickly."

Heather Roberts continued to pad her resume as a power hitter with a two-RBI bomb in the second inning. The homer to center field, her third of the season, led to the Dolphins' 2-0 edge.

She finished the evening 2-for-3 at the plate, adding a single to leftfield in the fifth.  

The Bulls countered in the home half of the second inning after loading the bases with one out against them. Jacksonville looked to turn two to leave the inning, but instead an error resulted in the 2-2 tie, and later, an RBI-single earned USF its advantage.

Trailing 9-2 after the Bulls recorded three runs in both the third and fifth innings, Jacksonville went through a pair of USF pitchers in the sixth.

Paige Curtis led off the frame with a single to left and Allie McCourt followed suit. An errant throw allowed the Dolphins to advance to third and second, respectively, and Danielle Baker's at-bat saw both score. She tallied an RBI for JU's third run and the fourth was the result of an error.

Victoria Brown allowed eight hits in six innings while striking out two and walking two.

Jacksonville hosts the Dolphin Invitational Friday at the Debbie & Fred Pruitt Softball Complex. Its first game in the three-day tournament is Saturday against St. Bonaventure.