JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University softball turned a double play in the top of the seventh and became the first opponent to shut out Lipscomb in the 2017 season, 1-0, in the ASUN Conference series finale, Saturday at Debbie & Fred Pruitt Softball Complex.

The Dolphins improve to 22-16 overall and 2-4 in the ASUN, while Lipscomb falls to 27-10 and 3-3 in the league.

"We made plays when it mattered and we were in control of our emotions the entire game," said Head Coach Jennifer Steele. "It was a collective 20-person effort with all of our athletes, so I'm really proud of the way we responded after two tough losses yesterday."

Pitcher Taylor Thorpe faced the minimum number of batters through three innings before allowing a Lipscomb hit in the top of the fourth. The Bison runner advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and took advantage of a passed ball to scoot to third and put pressure on the Dolphins.

The imposing Lipscomb runner was unable to shake the Dolphins' focus as Thorpe forced the next two Bisons to pop up then ground out to Makenzie Buss at second and get out of the jam unharmed.

Feeling a little frustrated coming into today's game, Madison Ragan took Steele's pregame advice to heart before the first pitch. "Coach Steele pulled me aside before the game and told me that that they trust me. It helped me relax a little more and feel like I didn't have to prove something. I went up there, stayed relaxed, and it worked out. I was just happy I contributed to the team and helped us get a run."

That advice worked as Ragan led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a double to the warning track in right center field to get herself into scoring position. Danielle Baker followed up with a sacrifice bunt that dribbled past the charging Bison second baseman into no-man's land and allowed Ragan to scoot home.

 "[Ragan] truly has a knack for getting a hit, so I was really proud of her today for getting the hit or two we needed that we didn't get yesterday. For Rocky to step up and get those hits and for Danielle [Baker] and Jordan [Daniels] to make the plays behind Taylor [Thorpe] when it mattered was huge," Steele added.

The Dolphins threatened an insurance tally in the bottom of the next inning after a hard shot to right center field from Ciara Jones was bobbled by the Bison right fielder, allowing a speedy Jones to take second.

With two outs, Jones took off for third and slid under the tag to get JU's potential second run just 60 feet away. A fly out to center field ended those chances, however, and neither team was able to get a runner past second base the rest of the game.

With just three outs needed to seal the win, Thorpe forced the lead off Bison to ground out to Jordan Daniels at third and keep the Dolphins rolling defensively. A laser up the middle from the next Lipscomb batter gave the visitors a glimmer of hope, but Jacksonville turned a 5-4-3 double play on the following batter to end the game and preserve the 1-0 shutout.

"The defense kept us in," said Baker. "We were getting hits when we needed to; we were in it the whole time and so were they, so it was definitely fun."

Thorpe tossed her third complete game of the season and allowed just three hits to improve to 8-4 in the circle.

Ragan finished 2-for-2 at the plate, while Jones, Bethany Kursch, and Baker all added hits for the Dolphins.

"I was proud of our approach, but our execution needs to get better. That comes with more experience and more practice, but we took a huge step in the right direction. With next week being our bye week in the conference, we'll be able to relax a bit, get some rest, and really get prepared again for league play," said Steele.

The Dolphins return to action Wednesday, April 5 when they head to Florida A&M with first pitch slated for 5:00 p.m.