KENNESAW, Ga. – The Jacksonville University Softball team was back in action Friday afternoon at Bailey Park on the campus of Kennesaw State University for the first elimination game of the weekend at the championship round of the 2021 ASUN Softball Championships. The Dolphins (29-20) needed extra innings to power their way to a 3-1 win over FGCU (28-19) before falling to Kennesaw State (26-24) 5-1 in the second elimination game of the day as their ASUN Tournament journey came to an end.
 
In what was almost a mirror image of Thursday afternoon, pitching was the order of the day in the early going. With one hit combined through the first three innings of play, offense was hard to come by as both starters were sharp in the circle.
 
The first run of the game went to FGCU in their half of the fourth inning. A one-out double that split the right center gap scored the runner from first to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
 
The lead would be short-lived, however, as the Dolphins even things in the top of the fifth. Caroline Watson stepped in with one out in the inning and drove the first pitch she saw out to left field toward the tennis courts to even the score at 1-1.
 
Things remained scoreless for the next two innings, as FGCU was able to get the go-ahead run on base in their half the sixth and seventh but were unable to score as the game went to extra innings.
 
In the top of the eighth, Victoria Rodebaugh singled to centerfield with two outs to bring Hannah Roberts to the plate. Roberts, one of the team leaders in homeruns, stepped in and promptly stepped out, unloading on the first pitch she saw for a towering homerun to left field that cleared the fence by plenty and landed well onto the tennis courts beyond the fence to give JU their first lead of the day at 3-1.
 
Alyssa Bilodeau (14-8) worked around a leadoff single in the bottom of the inning, retiring the next three batters in order to wrap up the 3-1 win. The right-hander retired the first nine Eagles she faced in the game, going on to scatter six hits and strike out three without allowing a walk to advance to Dolphins to their second game of the day at 5:30 PM.
 
Five different Dolphins made their way into the hit column, while all three runs scored came by way homeruns from Watson and Roberts.
 
The Dolphins were back in action in the final game of the day, matching up against the second seed from the North Division Kennesaw State in their second elimination game of the day. The Owls suffered a 4-1 setback in the second game of the day opposite Liberty.
 
KSU struck first in their first trip to the plate in the game, cashing in a two-run double into the left field corner to take the first lead of the contest.
 
The Dolphins had their best chance of the day to score in the fifth inning. Makenzie Buss was hit by a pitch with one away before Madison Kennedy singled through the right side to put two runners on. After a fielder's choice got the force out at second, there were runners at the corners with two away for Ashley Darakjian. The Dolphin right fielder got a good barrel on a pitch and sent a line drive to the outfield but was robbed of extra bases by her opposite number for Kennesaw State as it remained a 2-0 game.
 
The Owls added two more runs in their half of the fifth coming on a two-out two-run homerun to left center to double their lead to 4-0. In the sixth, KSU scored a run on two-out double in the sixth to make it a five-run game.
 
The Dolphins looked to rally in the late going as Makenzie Buss started the seventh with an opposite field homerun to make it 5-1, but it was not to be as their trip to this year's ASUN Softball Championship came to an end.
 
Alyssa Bilodeau (14-9) took the loss in the circle, allowing five runs in six innings of work. Buss, Madison Kennedy, Samantha Poehlman, Victoria Rodebaugh and Kassidy Cross each had a hit in the game for JU.
 
The Dolphins finish the season at 29-20, the highest win total under head coach Erica Ayers and most wins in a season since a 30-win 2017 campaign. The seniors on this year's conclude their time at Jacksonville having helped amass 116 wins over the last five seasons. Alyssa Bilodeau concludes her storied career as the program's all-time strikeouts leader with 629 in 740 2/3 innings. Her 58 wins rank second all-time and her 2.40 ERA is the third-lowest all-time. Makenzie Buss finishes her career with 112 runs scored, the fourth-most all-time. Hannah Roberts' career concludes with 18 homeruns, placing her in a tie for the sixth-most in a career in JU. Kassidy Cross started all 114 games she played in in her three years with the program and finishes her career as the third-leading hitter in Dolphins history with a .330 average.

Said head coach Erica Ayers, "I'm very proud of how this group competed all year long. They emptied the tank this weekend and that's all anyone can ask. As for the seniors, we have been through so much together these last 4-5 years. All the blood, sweat and tears, all the laugh and heartaches, we have been through it all. The bond these kids have is as strong as I've ever been a part of. This group will forever hold a special place in our hearts!"