NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jacksonville University Softball fell twice to Lipscomb as the Bisons racked up four home runs and three extra-base hits in Saturday's doubleheader.
Lipscomb (25-10, 5-3) defeated JU 7-5 in game one, and 8-0 in five innings in game two.
Game One
The Dolphins (21-18, 3-2) started off hot in the day's first outing.
Allie McCourt led off the game with an infield single, then scored on an RBI-double by Heather Roberts. Madison Ragan followed with a single, stole second, and scored as the catcher threw the ball into the outfield on the putout attempt.
With a 2-0 lead in the second, Makenzie Buss walked to start the inning. Kamille Larrrabee bunted her over to second, and she put JU up 3-0 as McCourt drove her home with an RBI single to right-center.
In the third, the Dolphins took a 4-0 lead. Ragan hit a leadoff single and scored on an RBI double by Buss.
But the lead was erased quickly in the fourth as Lipscomb mounted a two-out rally. JU starter Alyssa Bilodeau opened the frame with her fourth and fifth strikeouts of the game before giving up a solo-shot to Caitlin Plocheck. Two walks, two singles, a double and an error later, and the score was 5-4 in favor of Lipscomb.
The Dolphins tied the game again in the fifth. Jordan Daniels singled to left, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Buss single.
Sarah Higgins homered in the bottom of the frame to give Lipscomb a lead that they would not relinquish.
Bilodeau (13-6) took the loss, allowing six runs, five earned, on six hits in four and a third innings. Mandy Jordan (14-3) earned the win for Lipscomb, throwing five innings and surrendering five runs on eight JU hits. Megan Gray got her second save of the season, tossing two scoreless innings to preserve the win.
Game Two
Lipscomb started game two even hotter than JU started game one.
The Bisons jumped out to a 7-0 lead thanks in part to a pair of home runs.
JU starter Seana Mora was chased after the first, a three-run shot that had Lipscomb on top 4-0. Mora (5-8) was charged with the loss after four runs on three hits in one-third inning.
Back-to-back doubles to start the Lipscomb second inning made it 8-0, and JU was unable to close that gap before the end of the fifth, invoking the eight-run rule.
Chloe Yaeger (4-1) earned the win for Lipscomb, holding JU to just two hits in five innings of work.
Jacksonville will attempt to avoid the sweep Sunday as the Dolphins and Bisons complete the series at 2 p.m. at Draper Diamond in Nashville.
