The University of North Florida softball team swept their second doubleheader on Saturday, defeating Jacksonville State and Western Carolina in consecutive games. The wins put the Ospreys’ overall record at 3-2.

Game 1

The Osprey offense threatened early after a scoreless first inning from freshman pitcher Macie Hunolt. Senior second baseman Lauren Brock collected the Ospreys’ first hit, and senior first baseman Allison Benning walked to put two runners on base. Gamecock pitcher Jordan Eslinger managed to end the threat by coaxing a ground ball from sophomore infielder Logan Turner to keep the Ospreys off the board.

After another scoreless inning from Hunolt, UNF managed to score two runs in the 2nd inning. Junior catcher Kirsten Caravaca drove home junior shortstop Kelsey Vogel on an opposite-field single. Caravaca herself then scored after an error by Gamecock shortstop Aria Davis allowed the inning to continue, giving UNF a 2-0 lead. 

In the fourth inning, Jacksonville State tried to respond, as outfielder Morgan Nowakowski hit a double with one out to put herself in scoring position. Designated player Amber Reed then lined a single into center field, but sophomore outfielder Kalyn McCarthy made a strong throw to cut down Nowakowski at the plate, preserving the Osprey lead.

Hunolt was temporarily replaced by sophomore Cameron Ponich in the pitcher’s circle starting in the fifth inning. She gave up a run on a hit by Gamecocks outfielder Megan Rasmussen, who scored infielder Ella Pate from second but finished the inning and added a scoreless sixth to maintain the Osprey advantage.

Ponich then handed the ball back to Hunolt, who closed the door on the Gamecocks with a 1-2-3 inning to give the Ospreys a 2-1 win. Hunolt finished the game with four strikeouts on 64 pitches, going five innings in the winning effort.

Game 2

The Ospreys looked to freshman Taylor Cook to lead them from the pitcher’s circle against Western Carolina. She started strong, getting through the first two innings without giving up a run. 

The Ospreys got their first run in the second inning. A leadoff double from Kirsten Caravaca (who played third base in this game) set the stage for sophomore catcher Addyson Bruneman, who scored Caravaca on a groundout to Catamount shortstop Sydney Dirks.

UNF capitalized on the early momentum in the third inning, scoring four more runs in quick succession. Run scoring singles from Lauren Brock and Allison Benning made it 3-0, and back-to-back doubles from Caravaca and Kelsey Vogel made it 5-0.

In the fourth inning, the Osprey offense continued right where it left off, with consecutive singles from junior outfielder Marley Nagy and Lauren Brock. After a lineout by freshman outfielder Alyssa Jones, Allison Benning hit a 3-run home run to right-center field to give the Ospreys an 8-0 lead. That hit marked Benning’s first home run of the new season after collecting 10 the season prior as a junior.

The Ospreys changed pitchers to begin the fifth inning as Lauren Cook gave way to senior Ashley Connor. Connor collected two strikeouts to close out the game for the Ospreys, confirming the 8-0 win via mercy rule. Cook finished the night with 6 strikeouts in 4 innings to collect her first win of the season.

Post-Game Thoughts

After the games, head coach Jeff Conrad discussed his team’s performance, mentioning his satisfaction with his pitching staff so far this season.

“Really nice that our offense finally showed up in the second game,” he said. “…it’s been a bit of a slow start for us offensively. But the story for me so far has been our young pitching staff.”

Conrad also highlighted the importance of gaining experience playing in close games, like the first game against Jacksonville State

The Ospreys will travel to Daytona to face Bethune-Cookman in a doubleheader. The first pitch is at 5 pm. on Wednesday.

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