JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The North Florida softball team opens its home slate on Wednesday, March 2, at the UNF Softball Complex when the squad hosts Florida A&M in a doubleheader. The first game of the contest is slated for a 4 p.m. (ET) start with game two set to follow.
The Ospreys enter the match with a 6-9 record, most recently competing in the UCF/Courtyard by Marriott Invitational in Orlando, Fla. North Florida finished last weekend with a 2-3 record, including a close loss to No. 7/9 Michigan, 4-1.
Freshman Lauren Pollack led North Florida at the plate last weekend, hitting .364 with a slugging percentage of .636. Pollack knocked the first homerun of her career against UCF on Feb. 27 to help lead the team to a win over the tournament host. Rookie Cortney Radke appeared in all five games, pitching an impressive 30.1 innings to a 2-2 record on the weekend. Radke fanned 21 batters and allowed just seven earned runs over the weekend.
Of North Florida's nine losses, five came at the hands of nationally-ranked teams that also competed in the NCAA Tournament last season.
North Florida holds a 10-6 advantage over Florida A&M in the all-time series with the two teams trading wins in the last four meetings. The Rattlers took the last game, 3-2, on March 19, 2010 at the USF “The Game” Tournament, while the Ospreys last claimed a victory on Feb. 27, 2010 in Tallahassee, Fla. North Florida won seven consecutive meetings in the series from April 17, 2007 to Feb. 27, 2010.
Fans can follow the games via live stats.
