JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The softball team of Jacksonville University split its mid-week double-header with Monmouth University on Wednesday, losing the first game 4-7 and winning the second 5-0.
Monmouth 7, Jacksonville 4
The Hawks got off to a fast start in the first game, collecting five runs on five hits, including back-to-back RBI doubles. JU responded in the bottom of the first with a homer by Heather Roberts, but still trailed 5-1 after the first.
In the second inning starting pitcher Victoria Brown found her stuff and quickly sat down all three Monmouth batters, forcing two grounds out and a fly out. The Dolphins tagged another run on with a Brown homer in the bottom of the second, and trailed 5-2 after two innings.
Neither team scored again until the sixth inning, when Adrienne Ramsay hit an RBI double to bring in Brown. After six innings, JU trailed by just two runs, 5-3.
But Monmouth put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh. Ashalynn Umiamaka singled up the middle, and Jill Freese hit the next pitch out of the park for a two RBI homer that put the Monmouth lead at 7-4. Allie McCourt had an RBI sac in the bottom of the seventh with two runners on base, but the Dolphins couldn't add any more. The final after seven innings: Monmouth 7, Jacksonville 4
Jacksonville 5, Monmouth 0
Both teams had just three plate appearances in the first inning as both Paige Curtis and the Monmouth pitcher asserted their wills. Neither team got a hit or a runner on base.
Curtis continued her dominance in the second inning by allowing just one hit. A single and a hit-by-pitch put runners on first and second, but Curtis shut down the Hawks from there with a fielder's choice and a strike out. The Dolphins' bats came alive in the bottom of the second with an RBI double by Kristen Griffith that scored Emily Sanchez.
Brown homered for the second time in as many games in the bottom of the fourth to chase the Monmouth pitcher, and then Jacksonville got another run on thanks to some impressive base running. Danielle Baker hit straight to the shortstop but somehow managed to beat the throw, earning an RBI single with her feet. After four JU led 3-0.
The Dolphins struck again in the next inning, putting two more across the plate on an RBI double by Sanchez and a sacrificial groundout by Griffith. The Dolphins led 5-0 after five innings.
Monmouth came closest to putting a run across in the top of the sixth. The Hawks had baserunners on first and second after two singles, but Curtis was unflustered. The Jacksonville native forced back-to-back fly outs to end the inning, stranding both runners.
In the seventh Curtis had a ground out, a strikeout, and a ground out to end the game. The final after seven innings: Jacksonville 5, Monmouth 0
Down the Road
Up next for Jacksonville is a three-game series against Kennesaw State. The Dolphins open conference play with a doubleheader on Saturday and a third game on Sunday, though weather could play a factor in scheduling.
Fans can follow all the action from the 2015-16 season on JUDolphins.com, through twitter @JUSoftball, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JacksonvilleUniversityAthletics.
