JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville University softball team was back on the diamond Saturday afternoon after making the short trip across town to the campus of the University of North Florida for the first River City Rumble series of the season to open ASUN Conference play. The Dolphins (13-6, 1-1) bounced back to beat the Ospreys (8-8, 1-1) in the second game of the day 2-0 after UNF eked out a 2-1 win in extra innings in game one.
 
In an afternoon dominated by pitching, the Dolphins fired the opening salvo in game one with an RBI single in the top of the first inning by Kassidy Cross to score Makenzie Buss after she doubled to begin the ballgame.
 
UNF tied things at 1-1 with a one-out RBI single back through the box following a single and a passed ball that moved the runner into scoring position.
 
Neither side was able to generate much offense through the middle innings of the game, with only four runners reaching base from the second through the fifth innings. JU had their best chance to retake the lead in the sixth inning, when Cross worked a two-out walk and was followed by a single to right field by Samantha Poehlman, but UNF induced a groundball to get out of the inning unscathed.
 
With the score even after seven innings, extra frames would be needed to determine the outcome. After the Dolphins went down in order in their half, the Ospreys cashed in with two away and a runner at second on a walk-off double down the line in left field to take the opener 2-1.
 
Alyssa Bilodeau (5-5) took the loss for JU, working 7 2/3 innings and striking out six against two walks while allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits.
 
Game two was once more a pitcher's duel, as both sides had runners on base to begin the game but were not able to push across any runs as things settled in.
 
Jacksonville plated the only runs of the game in the fourth inning, when Kassidy Cross got things started with a leadoff walk. Pinch-runner Carolyn O'Neal entered the game and stole second before Samantha Poehlman reached on an infield single to put runners at the corners. After Poehlman successfully stole second, Caroline Watson singled to the left center gap to plate both runners for what would be the difference in the game.
 
UNF had a chance to answer the in the home half of the fifth when back-to-back hits with two outs put runners at second and third, but Skylar Whitty was able to navigate her way out of trouble to keep the Ospreys off the board.
 
Whitty (6-1) held UNF in check over the final two innings to finish off the complete game shutout. The junior scattered six hits over seven innings and struck out four without issuing any free passes in the game.
 
The series wraps up with a single game Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 PM at the UNF Softball Complex.