JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The sun was shining and the skies were clear Sunday at the Debbie and Fred Pruitt Softball Complex for the final day of the JU/UNF Spring Break Challenge as the Jacksonville University softball team played host to USC Upstate in a doubleheader. In both games, the Dolphins (12-5) scored first as the hot bats from early in the weekend continued throughout the afternoon, sweeping both games from the Spartans (8-4) by scores of 5-2 and 8-0 in six innings.
 
After both sides went down in order in the first inning of game one, Jacksonville got on the board in the second inning when with one out, Hannah Roberts went deep to centerfield on the first pitch she saw for her fourth homerun of the weekend.
 
After a scoreless third inning, USC Upstate scratched across a run in the fourth with an RBI groundout after the leadoff batter reached on a single.
 
JU responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead. Roberts lined a single back through the box to start the inning before Carolyn O'Neal entered to pinch run. After O'Neal stole second following a lineout, Allison Bratek singled to right center to bring in the go-ahead run. Madison Kennedy stepped in next and promptly left the yard with a ball that landed in the left centerfield party deck for a two-run homerun to make it 4-1 Dolphins.
 
The Dolphins added another run in the fifth inning with runners at the corners, when Reynolds broke for second and Abby Quinn read the throw through to second base and raced home without a return throw to make it 5-1.
 
The Spartans managed a run late, scoring a run in the seventh inning on an infield single before a strikeout looking ended the contest.
 
Alyssa Bilodeau (5-4) went the distance, and allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits against nine strikeouts and no walks.
 
Game two started in nearly identical fashion to game one, with both sides going down in order in the first inning before the Dolphins scored the first run of the game courtesy of the long ball. Samantha Poehlman stepped into the box with one away in the home second and turned one around out to right center for her first career homerun in a Jacksonville uniform to make it a 1-0 game.
The Dolphins added three more runs in the third inning, starting with a push bunt past the entire right side of the infield by Makenzie Buss that brought home Carolyn O'Neal and advanced Ashley Darakjian to third base. After a successful steal of second by Buss, Victoria Rodebaugh hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Darakjian and advance Buss to third. Kassidy Cross followed with a sac fly of her own to centerfield to bring home Buss and make it 4-0 in favor of the home team.
 
Jacksonville scored four more runs in the bottom of the sixth to enact the eight-run rule to wrap matters up. After Seana Mora and Poehlman both reached on singles, a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. Abby Quinn then dropped one on down the right field line to plate Mora and make it 5-0. Allison Bratek followed with single to left that scored Poehlman and after a groundout and an Ashley Darakjian walk loaded the bases, Buss stepped in and doubled off to the wall in center two plate two more Dolphins and end matters early at 8-0.
 
Skylar Whitty (5-1) was masterful in the circle, working six shutout innings and striking out five against three hits and no walks. Buss and Poehlman each went 2-3 in the game, with former finishing with three RBI.
 
Up next for Jacksonville is a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday against Chipola College. First pitch in game one is scheduled for 3 PM.