University of North Florida
East Tennessee State
Reynolds Breaks Out; Leads Ospreys to Series Win over ETSU
4/2/2011 5:50:09 PM | Softball
Game One Box Score ::: Game Two Box Score
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The University of North Florida softball team claimed its first A-Sun doubleheader series of the season over East Tennessee State at Betty Basler Field on Saturday afternoon behind freshman Mariah Reynolds breakout day at the plate.
After the day, North Florida improves to 19-20 overall and 3-5 in the A-Sun, while ETSU drops to 13-21 and 2-6 in the league.
Up next, North Florida continues its eight-game Atlantic Sun road trip as the squad travels to Nashville, Tenn. for matchups against Belmont on Friday, April 8 and Lipscomb on Saturday, April 9.
GAME ONE
Freshman Mariah Reynolds connected on a three-run homerun in the second inning as the North Florida softball team plated six runs in the first two frames en route to a 7-1 victory over East Tennessee State in game one.
After North Florida plated three runs in the first inning, Reynolds blasted a three-run homerun over the left field wall to extend the Ospreys' commanding lead to 6-0. The deep ball was the rookie's fourth of the season. Reynolds was 3-for-4 on the day with five RBI – her second time this season with three hits and the first Osprey player to notch five RBI in a game since Gwen Williams did so against Rider on March 22, 2008.
In the fourth inning, North Florida added one more run to take a 7-0 lead before the Buccaneers finally put a run on the board in the bottom of the frame, but wouldn't score again.
Freshman Cortney Radke (16-12) picked up the win, hurling a complete game in which she allowed one run while scattering four hits. Radke fanned eight batters and walking just one.
ETSU's Jessica Duncan (6-9) was tagged with the loss after pitching just 0.1 innings and allowing three runs on two hits and three walks.
GAME TWO
North Florida rallied to plate four runs in the top of the seventh inning to take game two, 5-2, over the Buccaneers.
In the seventh frame, the Ospreys had runners on first and second with two outs but rallied for four runs on wild pitches and walks to overwhelm the Buccaneers. After two consecutive wild pitches, North Florida had scored one and moved a runner over to third base. Sophomore Jackie Reese was hit by a pitch to load the bases and freshman Mariah Reynolds drew a walk to cross another run. The final two runs of the inning were also walked in with the bases loaded before a groundout ended the inning.
North Florida scored first in the first inning with one run, but the lead was short-lived as ETSU plated two runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame. The score was knotted at 2-1 in ETSU's favor until the seventh inning.
The Ospreys' freshman Cortney Radke (17-12) picked up the win in relief after working six innings, allowing no runs, two hits and striking out seven. ETSU's Shelby Morris (6-7) was tagged with the loss after pitching 6.2 innings in which she allowed four runs – three earned – on three hits and five walks.
