JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville softball (5-7) played two games on the second day of the Jacksonville classic, facing Harvard (2-2) for a second time before taking on the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds (8-6).
Vs Harvard
It was Haley Holloway getting the start in the circle for JU. The sophomore went five innings without giving up a run and struck out three before eventually being replaced by Seana Mora. The game itself remained scoreless until the 'Phins strung together some productive at-bats in the bottom of the fourth.
The scoring began with three consecutive Dolphins reaching on 2-out walks, then a double by Nydia Perez that sent two runners home. Jacksonville held onto the lead for another 1.5 innings before Harvard made a move. After Mora struck out her first two batters faced, Harvard's Teagan Shaw came in to pinch hit. Shaw sent a 2-run homer over the fence to take a 3-2 lead. Two of the runs were credited to Holloway.
It appeared as though Jacksonville might find some seventh inning magic when Victoria Rodebaugh put herself in scoring position with a 2-out double, but the game ended with the next batter grounding out for the final out of the game.
Vs LIU Brooklyn
Next, Jacksonville face LIU Brooklyn, who remain undefeated (4-0) in the tournament after picking up the 5-0 win. This time, it was Alyssa Bilodeau in the circle for Jacksonville. Bilodeau went all seven innings, but had trouble holding the Blackbirds. They recorded eight hits off the junior pitcher and had some help from errors in the field.
No runs scored for either team in the first couple innings, and Jacksonville worked their way out of a few jams with five Blackbirds being stranded on base before the third inning. In the third, LIU Brooklyn wiped the zeros off the board by scoring three runs.
They dealt damage again in the top of the fifth when they added another pair of runs, putting JU behind 5-0. Bilodeau remained in the game, however, and only allowed one more hit. Unfortunately for Jacksonville, the five runs proved to be too much to make up. LIU Brooklyn's Victoria Lowe was credited with the win after allowing five hits in seven innings.
Jacksonville has one more game in the Jacksonville Classic, a 12:30 rematch with the Blackbirds for a chance to finish .500 in the tournament.
