The UNF softball team continued its fast start to ASUN play by sweeping Stetson University for the second time this season at the UNF Softball Complex.

After winning game one of the doubleheader in comeback fashion, the Ospreys run-ruled the Hatters in the next two games, with the series finale ending on a home run. UNF ended up outscoring Stetson 27-6 through the weekend. 

Game One

In the doubleheader opener on Saturday, April 5, Stetson started the game with a singles parade, forcing head coach Jeff Conrad to remove starting pitcher Allison Benning after the Hatters scored three runs without getting out. 

Trailing 3-0, the Ospreys didn’t score its first runs until the fourth inning. Freshman Grace Shaw-Rockey opened the inning with a home run to center field. Senior Chloe Culp crushed an opposite-field home run in the same inning, reducing North Florida’s deficit to just one. 

Despite starting the inning with two straight home runs, the Ospreys failed to add another run until the next inning. During the fifth inning, North Florida’s first three players reached base. Two UNF players, Kayln McCarthy and Lauren Brock, led the inning with walks. 

Benning singled to right field, tying the game at three. Then, fellow power hitter Kirsten Caravaca smacked a home run to center field, cementing North Florida’s furious rally. Now up 6-3, the Ospreys weren’t satisfied with just four runs in the inning. 

Catcher Mackenzie Woods tripled in two more runs, culminating in a six-run inning for UNF. Leading 8-3, the Ospreys turned to pitcher Kylah Berry, who relieved Benning in Stetson’s three-run first. 

The rest was history. Berry pitched seven innings, giving up zero earned runs on four hits and three walks. The only run Berry surrendered was in the sixth after a throwing error kept Stetson’s inning alive. 

The junior from Rockledge, Florida secured her fourth win of the season, helping UNF defeat Stetson 8-4. 

Game Two

During the doubleheader’s second game, UNF wasted no time scoring first. Brock singled, stole second base, and scored on an obstruction call. Freshman starter Macie Hunolt tossed three scoreless innings to open her outing. 

UNF hitters gave their starters some much-needed run support. Capitalizing on a pair of Stetson free passes, Culp added a two-run triple to extend North Florida’s lead to 3-0. 

To begin the fourth inning, Stetson cut into UNF’s advantage with a two-run single. Up just 3-2, the Ospreys didn’t take long to tack on several insurance runs. Like the previous inning, Stetson put the first two Ospreys on base thanks to free passes.

Shaw-Rockey and Caravaca notched back-to-back run-scoring hits. Woods singled, pouring in two more RBIs, extending the Birds of Clay lead to 8-2. Hunolt threw another scoreless inning in the fifth and UNF run-ruled Stetson 10-2. 

Junior Marley Nagy hit a walk-off single, finishing the UNF run-rule, and clinching the doubleheader sweep. However, UNF would have to wait until Sunday to try for the big sweep. UNF was going not only for the series sweep but for their first-ever season sweep over any team.

Game Three

On a sun-drenched Sunday afternoon at the UNF Softball Complex, the Ospreys thoroughly dominated Stetson in the series finale. Right out of the gate, UNF scored five runs on five hits. Shaw-Rockey singled in two runs, furthering the freshman’s impressive weekend. Culp doubled in a run, Hadlee Reichert singled another run, and Woods capped off the inning with a five-run triple. 

Benning blanked the Hatters for four innings while allowing only three baserunners on the mound. Offensively, during inning two, Shaw-Rockey tripled in another run, and Nagy singled in North Florida’s seventh run. 

Following the early offensive output, the Ospreys didn’t score until the final inning, which was in the fifth inning. Amanda Aardema crushed her first career home run in walk-off, run-rule fashion. This finished an impressive offensive weekend, where almost everyone contributed to the UNF sweep. 

The Ospreys are now 32-11, and 12-0 in ASUN play, while Stetson drops to 4-8 in conference play. 

UNF will leave Florida for the first time this season to face West Georgia in a weekend series from Apr. 12-13.