JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After waiting out the weather that forced a delay in game one and moved Sunday's games to Monday, the Jacksonville University softball team was back at the Debbie & Fred Pruitt Softball Complex to wrap up the regular season River City Rumble series with the University of North Florida. After losing an extra-innings heartbreaker in game one by a score of 6-5, the Dolphins (20-13, 8-7) left little doubt in game two, scoring nine runs over the first two innings en route to 12-4 run-rule win in five innings over the Ospreys (15-19, 7-8) in the nightcap.
North Florida struck first in the opener by way of a two-out RBI single to left field.
JU answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning.
Kassidy Cross stood in with bases loaded and one out in the inning and hit a ball sharply on the ground to second. The throw to the plate for the force out sailed high, allowing
Samantha Poehlman to score and as the ball rattled around the backstop, pinch runner
Haley Holloway raced home from second to make it 2-1 JU.
After a scoreless second inning, the Ospreys tied the game in the third inning with a leadoff homerun to left field. UNF took the lead in the top of the fourth inning courtesy of an RBI groundout and RBI double down the right field line following a JU pitching change to make it a 4-2 game.
An Osprey sacrifice fly in the sixth inning extended their lead to 5-2, but the Dolphins surged back in the bottom of the inning, scoring three times to even things at 5-5.
Hallie Kern got the rally going with a leadoff double down the right field line and was followed by a
Makenzie Buss infield single to put runners at the corners. A wild pitch advanced both runners and made it 5-3 with a runners at second and no outs. Poehlman reached on a bunt single and promptly stole second before
Victoria Rodebaugh loaded the bases when she reached on a fielder's choice to first base.
Hannah Roberts followed and lined a single to left center to score Buss from third and make it a 5-4 game. Following an Osprey pitching change,
Allison Bratek belted a fly ball to center that was deep enough to score Poehlman from third for the equalizer.
After a scoreless seventh, the Ospreys wasted little time retaking the lead in the eighth, homering to left center on the first pitch of the inning for what would be the go-ahead run. A JU rally would get the tying and go-ahead runs on base with two away in the forms of Bratek and Cross, but the rally came up short as the Ospreys held on for a 6-5 win.
Alyssa Bilodeau (8-7) took the loss for Jacksonville in relief, working five innings after entering the fourth. The right-hander scattered seven hits and allowed two runs while striking out one.
Skylar Whitty started the game in the circle and took the no-decision working three innings and allowing four runs on six hits.
Bratek led the way at the plate with a 2-2 effort and an RBI while Buss went 2-4 with a run. Roberts and Kern each had a hit while Poehlman scored twice in the game.
In the nightcap, Jacksonville wasted little time taking the first lead of the game using a big inning to do it, scoring seven times in the first inning.
Samantha Poehlman doubled to lead off the home half of the inning and was followed by a
Victoria Rodebaugh with an infield single.
Hannah Roberts flew out to left and a strong throw in held Poehlman at third, but allowed Rodebaugh to tag up and advance to second.
Allison Bratek singled back through the box to plate Poehlman before
Kassidy Cross reached on a single to shortstop to score Rodebaugh and make it 2-0 Dolphins.
Madison Kennedy cleared the bases with a two-run double that split the right center gap and made it a 4-0 game. After a groundout,
Ashley Darakjian and
Makenzie Buss loaded the bases on back-to-bac hit by pitches to roll the lineup over for Poehlman, who drove in a pair with a single through the left side to make it 6-0. Rodebaugh concluded scoring matters in the first, driving in Buss with a single into centerfield.
Undeterred, the Ospreys posted three runs in the second to make it a 7-3 game, scoring on an RBI groundout, RBI single and RBI double in succession in the inning.
JU bounced back and scored a pair of two-out runs in the bottom of the inning, as Buss and Poehlman worked back-to-back bases loaded walks to each force home a run and make it a 9-3 game.
Things settled down as the sides exchanged zeros in the third and fourth innings before UNF cashed in a run with a two-out single in the fifth inning to make it a 9-4 game.
The Dolphins, realizing the run-rule was in each, got back on the gas in the bottom of the inning. Rodebaugh led off with a single and was followed by
Hannah Roberts as she too reached on a base hit. Bratek dug in and drove a pitch to left center to score Rodebaugh and make it 10-4 Jacksonville. Cross followed with a single of her own to score
Seana Mora who flexed into the lineup to run for Roberts in the DP spot. With the score at 11-4,
Madison Kennedy stepped in and ended things when she drove an 0-1 pitch to right center to plate Cross for the 12-4 run-rule win.
Five Dolphins turned in multi-hit efforts, and the quartet of Rodebaugh, Bratek, Cross and Kennedy each turned in 3-4 nights. Kennedy and Poehlman had three runs batted in a piece while Bratek and Cross each drove in a pair. Eight different players recorded a hit for JU in the game while nine different players scored a run in the contest.
Mora (5-0) kept her record unblemished, picking up with win as she worked five innings, allowing four runs on nine hits while striking out two.
Up next, the Dolphins welcome Florida A&M back to campus for a doubleheader scheduled for 4 PM Wednesday afternoon at the Debbie & Fred Pruitt Softball Complex. The two teams met once earlier this season in the JU/UNF Spring Break Challenge, a contest which the Dolphins won 18-0 in five innings.
