SWOOPED OUT! Softball Blanks Mount St. Mary's For Doubleheader Sweep

Wednesday, February 27

Jacksonville, Fla.

4 p.m.

University of North Florida

13-4

Mount St. Mary's

0-4

Mount St. Mary's

North Florida

SWOOPED OUT! Softball Blanks Mount St. Mary's For Doubleheader Sweep

2/27/2013 8:53:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: North Florida Athletics

Game One Boxscore (PDF)
Game Two Boxscore (PDF)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – University of North Florida softball swept its doubleheader with Mount St. Mary's in dominating fashion, taking a pair of run-rule games over the Mount on Wednesday at the UNF Softball Complex. The Ospreys posted a 9-0 five-inning victory in Game One and then won 8-0 in five innings in the second game.

“We had a good day all-around,” said head coach Marcie Hickey. “We played intense from start to finish. The pitchers looked great and were very consistent with two shutouts. The hitters did a good job. In the second game, we had a little trouble making adjustments to the slower pitching, but we still put the ball in play hard and forced them to make a couple of errors. We did a lot of good things with runners in scoring position and we were able to plate those runs. We had a great day – great plays on defense, great hitting and great pitching.”

The two games were also UNF's fourth and fifth consecutive shutouts. The Ospreys finished the FAU Strikeout Cancer Invitational with three shutouts and have not allowed an opponent to score in 34.2 innings.

The Ospreys' string of five shutouts are the most in UNF's Division I years. Additionally, they are the fourth most consecutive shutouts in UNF's 21-year history. The most consecutive shutouts in UNF history is 10 in 2002, which started against Limestone at the Owl Invitational and continue through the first game of a doubleheader with UNC Pembroke.

“We have a little shutout streak going on, which I'm loving,” said Hickey.

In Game One, UNF scored four runs in each of the first two innings to get out to an 8-0 lead. Brittany Hendrix scored the game's first run on Marissa Thomas bases loaded hit to left center. Jackie Reese's bases-loaded double to left field brought in the remaining three runs and UNF took a 4-0 lead in the first inning.

With runners in scoring position in the second, Ashley Holton sent a two-run double to right center to make it 6-0. In the next at-bat, Mariah Reynolds blasted a two-run homer to right center and UNF went up 8-0.

After a scoreless third, Reynolds had the game's final run in the fourth when she got home from second and another Thomas hit.

Kaylie Wallace was credited with the win after fanning five batters and allowing one hit in 5.0 innings.

Nicole Pagano had the loss after giving up eight runs on nine hits in 1.1 innings. She also struck out two.

Thomas was 3-for-3 from the plate with one run and two RBI. Holton and Reynolds were each 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.

Cat Clifford registered The Mount's only hit.

Game Two started out a little closer. The Ospreys capitalized in the first at-bat when Kelly Wilson reached on an error. However, UNF was held to just two runs in the first inning. Wilson scored as Reynolds grounded out, while Hendrix got home on a Reese single that put the Ospreys up 2-0 through one inning.

The Ospreys tacked on another pair of runs in the second. A Reynolds sacrifice fly was deep enough for Wilson to get home and gave UNF a 3-0 advantage. As Ashley Holton went for the steal at second, Mount St. Mary's' throw to second was off, resulting in another error for The Mount and Hendrix scoring from third to make it 4-0.

In the third, another throwing error by Mount St. Mary's resulted in another Osprey run. With the bases loaded, the throw pulled catcher Kayla Spataro off the plate and Danica Mandarano squeaked in for UNF's fifth run of the game.

All three of UNF's final runs of the day came in the bottom of the fifth. Holton sent a bases loaded single to center field that drove in Lexi Taylor. With the bases loaded and as Reynolds hit into what was eventually a fielder's choice, the Mount prevented one base runner from scoring on the play. But in an attempt to get the double play was thwarted and ended up costing Mount St. Mary's a different run from a different Osprey. The Mount fired the ball down to first base in order to try and get Reynolds out, but Hendrix dashed home on the throw to make it a 7-0 game. Holton got the game-ending run after sliding head-first into home, beating out the throw to the plate on a Thomas fielder's choice.

Kayla Goff earned the win after striking out three and allowing one hit in 5.0 innings.

Hayley Stankan received the loss. She allowed one earned run and gave up two hits in 2.1 innings. The Mount also had five unearned runs go against them while Stankan was in the circle.

Wilson was 2-for-4 with two runs in the day's second game.

Clifford again had Mount St. Mary's only hit in Game Two.

UNF returns to action this weekend with three-day Osprey Invitational at the UNF Softball Complex. The Osprey Invitational begins on Friday at 10 a.m., with St. Bonaventure and Princeton. UNF faces Princeton at 3 p.m., and Delaware State at 5:30 p.m. For more information about this weekend's tournament, click here. Admission to all UNF softball games is free.