University of North Florida
Brown
UNF completes homestand with sweep
3/25/2009 9:53:00 PM | Softball
Findley, Bailey deliver against Bears
After the teams cruised through the opening game – a 2-0 UNF win – game two was anything but routine. The Lady Ospreys gave up more runs in the game than they had allowed in any other game this season but the good news is, they also scored the more runs than in any previous game, capturing a 12-10 victory.
Bailey provided the go-ahead run in the nightcap, clearing the bases with a two-out triple to left field in the bottom of the fifth that allowed that Lady Ospreys to turn a 10-8 deficit into a one-run lead.
Bailey's triple was one of UNF's nine extra base hits on the day. Eight of those were doubles, with Ashley Battaglia collecting two of those. Battaglia had four hits on the day, while Airen Payne collected three and scored three runs in game two.
The UNF offense gave Findley a pair of runs to work with in the opening inning of play, thanks to doubles by Brittanie Block, Battaglia and Payne. Battaglia and Payne both drove home the UNF runs. Those turned out to be the only two runs of the contest and enough for Findley who gave up only three singles, and allowed only one runner to reach scoring position. Findley (8-11) struck out nine and did not walk a hitter.
UNF got off to another quick start in game two, posting a run in the bottom of the first inning when Kara Rutenbar drove home Block with a two-out single up the middle. Block led off the game with a base hit before coming in to score her second run of the doubleheader.
Shaina Dent cruised through the top of the first inning, setting the Bears down in order. Offense was the order of the day from there with neither team going down in order for the next four innings and at least one team scoring a run in innings 2-6.
Brown was able to touch Dent for four runs to grab a 4-1 lead in the third inning. Brown's rally in the third inning did little to phase the UNF offense, which answered with six runs of its own in the bottom of the inning, with Caroline Torre highlighting the frame with a double that plated a pair of runs.
The Bears kept the pressure on, scoring three runs in the fourth and fifth innings, while Torre drove home a run in the fourth inning before Bailey delivered her triple in the fifth. UNF finally capped the scoring in the sixth when Payne drove in Amy Kraus with a groundout to short.
Findley finally came in to restore order in the top of the sixth inning, striking out the side in the sixth before setting down the Bears in the seventh with a pair of strikeouts and a pop up to Bailey. The save was her second of the season and gave UNF its third-straight victory. The win also gave the Lady Ospreys a 4-2 record in its six-game homestand that began Saturday.
The Lady Ospreys will take their winning streak on the road this week when they head to
