KENNESAW, Ga. – It was a beautiful day for softball Thursday afternoon at Bailey Park on the campus of Kennesaw State University for the 2021 ASUN Softball Championships between Jacksonville University and 25th-ranked Liberty University. It was a pitcher's duel from the outset as both starters were able to stymie the opposing hitters and work out of trouble on several occasions, but in the end, the Dolphins (28-19) fell to the Flames (40-13) in the bottom of the seventh inning by a score of 1-0.
Hits were hard to come by all afternoon long, as the two teams combined for five through six innings of play. Liberty singled with their first at-bat of the game but had nothing to show for it as
Alyssa Bilodeau retired the next three Flames in order.
Jacksonville cracked the hit column in the second when
Allison Bratek singled to left field to lead off the inning, but fortunes turned quickly as ricochet on the glove of the pitcher by
Makenzie Buss was plucked out of the air of the Flames' second base who relayed to first for a double play to end the inning.
The fifth innings saw both sides with their best opportunities to get on the board but both starters stepped up and posted zeros on the scoreboard. In the top of the inning,
Kassidy Cross worked a one-out walk before Buss singled up the middle to put two Dolphins on base. A questionable called third strike and a fielder's choice helped Liberty escape the inning unscathed and keep things scoreless.
In the bottom of the inning, LU loaded the bases with one out by way of a single and a pair of walks, but Bilodeau was able to navigate through a dangerous part of the lineup as she induced a pair of foul outs to
Victoria Rodebaugh and
Madison Kennedy to extinguish the Flames' rally.
The Dolphins collected a hit from Rodebaugh in the sixth and a walk from Bratek in the seventh, but were unable to advance them around the bases for the go-ahead run.
In the seventh, the first two Flames were retired on a pair of groundouts before the nine-hole hitter doubled down the line in right field to put the winning run in scoring position. After a pinch runner entered the game, Liberty ended things with the next batter on a single to right field. The throw to the plate wasn't in time and top seed out of the North Division took the opening game of the weekend 1-0.
Bilodeau (13-8) took the loss, but pitched well all afternoon long, striking out six Flames while walking just two and allowing only four hits. Bratek reach base twice with a hit and a walk while Rodebaugh and Buss had the balance of the Dolphins' hits.
The Dolphins will play again Friday afternoon at 12:30 PM against the loser of Kennesaw State and FGCU.
