JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville softball team dropped a pair of games to the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles on Sunday afternoon.

Skylar Waggoner allowed one earned run in seven innings of work in game two, she also struck out three on the day for the Dolphins (11-17, 1-4 ASUN). Reese Wells made a relief appearance in game one and finished with no earned runs in 4.2 innings of work, but the FGCU offense did enough to get out of Sunday with a pair of wins.
 
"We got outplayed in all three phases today," said head coach Erica Ayers after the game.

GAME ONE

The Dolphins fell in game one of the afternoon, 7-1. Florida Gulf Coast struck first with a two-run homer in the top half of the first inning. The Eagles tallied another pair of runs in the top half of the third. First, a single to center from Meek scored Oakes, and then a bases-loaded hit by pitch from Roper extended FGCU's lead to 4-0.

Reece Wells entered the game in relief partway through the third inning and prevented the Eagles from scoring for the next four innings. Two-thirds through the seventh, the Dolphins committed an error that extended the inning. FGCU capitalized on the error and added three runs, one off of the mentioned error and the other two on a bases-loaded single through the right side, extending the lead to 7-0, FGCU.

Jacksonville, who had made decent contact throughout the first game but hadn't been rewarded, started the seventh inning reaching on two of its first three at-bats. Averi Harcus reached on an error by the FGCU pitcher, Bonilla. Bonilla's no-hit bid was then ended after Gabi Robles ripped a single through the left side, and Harcus wound up on third after a previous wild pitch moved her to second. After a strikeout by the Dolphins, a walk from Kassidy Pontbriant loaded the bases, and another walk from Madison Reynolds saw JU's first baserunner cross home. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, the seventh inning burst stopped there, and the Eagles won game one, 7-1.

Shelby Harpe (3-5) started game one in the circle for the Dolphins and allowed four runs in 2.1 innings. She struck out two.

GAME TWO

In a game that was much more of a pitcher's duel, the Eagles struck first again, this time in the fourth inning and again capitalizing on a JU error. After a Dolphins error, FGCU singled and walked to load the bases. Waggoner struck out a strikeout, Roper hit a single up the middle to bring home two Eagles. The next batter took one pitch lined out to center field as the Dolphins avoided any further damage.

Jacksonville's response was immediate in the home half of the fourth. While Madison Bratek reached via a nine-pitch walk, Allison Bratek reached because of a fielder's choice that saw her sister Madison out at second. After a passed ball, Kailey Harrigan earned a walk. Kari Holzrichter then stepped to the plate and hit a 1-1 pitch down the left field line, scoring Bratek from second, getting the Dolphins back to within one at 2-1 heading into the fifth inning.

The sixth inning saw FGCU extend its lead to a two-run lead at 3-1. Gibson led off the inning with a double down the left field line and two batters later Black singled up the middle, scoring Gibson. Gabi Robles started the seventh inning with a leadoff triple to get things started for JU, and she eventually scored off a hard-hit ground out from Lindsey Chadwich, but the comeback attempt fell short, and FGCU won game two.
 
UP NEXT

The Dolphins wrap up their series with FGCU tomorrow, March 25. First pitch is slated for 1 pm and livestats can be found on JUDolphins.com.