JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University's softball team accumulated 21 hits between two games to complete its weekend sweep of Akron and N.C. A&T at the Dolphin Invitational, Sunday afternoon. The Dolphins defeated the Zips, 9-1, in six innings, and downed the Aggies, 15-4, in five innings to finish 4-0 on the weekend and improve to 10-5 overall.
"Hitting is contagious; it was nice to see us hit the long ball. We put in good work throughout the week during training and, at some point, it had to happen for us," said Head Coach Jennifer Steele. "We did a great job with runners in scoring position and that was a huge difference for us. To hit five [home runs] in one day speaks volumes. It was nice to see our bats wake up."
vs. Akron
Kamille Larrabee was the hero of game one against Akron (7-7) after a nicely placed bunt down the first base line brought home a speedy Allie McCourt to end the game in six innings, 9-1.
"I was just trying to do something to get Allie home; she's so fast and there are so many different tools that can be used to score her from there," said Larrabee. "I got the squeeze sign and I thought, 'Perfect, I can definitely do that,' and I laid it down and with Allie's quickness, it was perfect."
"Kamille works very hard in practice and I was proud of her for being able to execute the squeeze when she was called on," affirmed Steele.
Jacksonville got on the board early in the first inning when Kristen Griffith sent a textbook bunt down the first base line to get Ciara Jones, who reached on a single up the left side, across the plate.
"Yesterday I didn't perform as well as I wanted to," Jones said. "Today I just relaxed and tried to follow up what Allie [McCourt] did – have good at-bats, keep my swing short, and drive to drive the ball up the middle of the field."
However, Akron was able to knot the game at 1-1 in the top of the third after a single to deep center field allowed a Zip runner to get home.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Madison Ragan used her quickness to take two bases and score after Bethany Kursch singled into center field.
A six-run outburst in the fifth inning continued the Dolphins' offensive momentum. By the end of the inning, five Dolphins had hits, including a two-run shot up the middle from McCourt and a bases-clearing double down the left field line by Ragan to set up Larrabee's game-winner in the next frame.
On the mound, Ragan threw a complete game for her second of the season to improve to 2-1 in the circle.
"Madison [Ragan} did a great job of bouncing back from yesterday. For her to go back out there again today, pitch seven innings, and only give up one run was incredible," added Steele.
vs. North Carolina A&T
Two grand slams and a solo home run highlighted the Dolphins' huge first inning against the Aggies (5-10). With the bases loaded and no outs, Griffith smacked a dinger over the center field wall to give JU a quick 4-0 lead. Ragan, the next batter, followed suit and hit a moon shot to right center.
Two more Dolphin runs came in after Jordan Daniels and McCourt were issued walks with ducks on the pond. Hometown hero Heather Roberts then cleared the bases with a tape measure shot to the top of the palm trees beyond right center to put the Dolphins ahead, 11-0.
Prior to the first game, Steele spoke to Roberts about a making a change in her approach at the plate and it paid off. "I felt like I was seeing the ball pretty well," said Roberts. "Our energy was really high and that's something that we've been working on; our pitchers threw really well, our defense backed them up, and our bats came alive today."
North Carolina A&T got runs back in the top of each of the next three innings to make a late rally. A Dolphin error in the top of the third allowed an Aggie to race home and a double into left field gave the Aggies their second run in the next frame.
Kursch led off the bottom of the fourth with a four-bagger over the left center wall and Taylor Thorpe sent a pitch to the palms in the opposite field for back-to-back Dolphin homers and a 13-2 JU advantage. Ashley McNally came in to pinch hit for Jones and sent a hard-hit laser into center field to bring in Daniels, who reached earlier on a shot to left field. Larrabee added her second clutch hit of the day to center to drive in McNally for the Dolphins' final run of the game.
North Carolina A&T carried its rallying momentum into the top of the fifth after a sacrifice hit from Nathaly Pacheco brought an Aggie across the plate. Kimberly Brunson knocked the ball out of Debbie and Fred Pruitt Softball Complex with two outs, but relief pitcher Blaise Brooks swiftly ended the inning by getting the next Aggie out swinging to preserve Jacksonville's 15-4 victory.
Thorpe earned her fifth win in the circle with 4.1 innings of work.
Roberts finished the day with six RBI and a grand slam, while Ragan was 3-for-6 at the plate with three RBI, a home run, and a stolen base.
Larrabee, who came off the bench to catch, finished the day 2-for-3 with two RBI. "[Larrabee] does a lot of little things behind the plate that are really important," added Steele. "She's a great receiver of the softball and helps the pitchers get more called strikes. She works really well with them and they trust her back there. I'm proud of her for making the best of the opportunity she was presented with."
The Dolphins hit the road next weekend to compete at the Easton Crimson Classic, hosted by the University of Alabama. Jacksonville squares off with Stanford at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3, followed by a matchup with the hosts at 5:00 p.m.
