#SB Prevails Over Dartmouth, FIU During First Day of FIU Tournament

Friday, February 21

Miami, Fla.

3 p.m.

University of North Florida

10-2

Dartmouth

0-2

Dartmouth

North Florida

#SB Prevails Over Dartmouth, FIU During First Day of FIU Tournament

2/21/2014 10:08:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: North Florida Athletics

UNF-Dartmouth Boxscore (PDF)
UNF-FIU Boxscore (PDF)

MIAMI, Fla. – University of North Florida softball captured a pair of one-run victories on the first day of the FIU Tournament held at the FIU Softball Stadium on Friday. The Ospreys downed Dartmouth 4-3 behind a walk-off home run in the seventh and then scored both of their runs late to defeat FIU 2-1.

"We play two great games today," said head coach Marcie Hickey. "I was really impressed with our ability to win these tight games. Our bats came through in key situations and our defense played great all day."

In Game One, Ashia Kerr's walk-off home run lifted the Ospreys to the one-run over Dartmouth.

Both UNF and Dartmouth began the game with two runs in the first inning. The Big Green jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top half of the inning. Morgan McEachern's double down the left field line drove in Kelsey Miller for the game's first run. In the next at-bat, Karen Chaw scored on a Maddie Damore pop up to put Dartmouth up by two.

In the bottom of the first, Abby Tewey sent a two-out double to left field and drove in Marissa Thomas and Kelly Wilson to tie the game at 2-2.

The Ospreys broke the tie in the bottom of the second with Danica Mandarano getting home on a Kerr RBI single to make it 3-2.

Dartmouth evened the score at 3-3 in the top of the fourth. Damore drilled a RBI double to center field that allowed Miller to cross home.

UNF and Dartmouth went through the next two-and-a-half-innings scoreless before Kerr hit her third homer of the season.

Kaylie Wallace received the win after coming in relief. Wallace pitched the last 5.0 innings for the Ospreys, allowing one run off five hits and striking out four.

Morgan McCalmon had the loss after giving up four runs off eight hits in 6.0 innings. She also struck out three.

Wilson, Kerr and Ashley Holton each tallied two hits.

In Game Two, FIU got out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Rebekah Sanchez's RBI single up the middle allowed Bre Kaye to score the game's first run.

UNF came back to tie it in the top of the fourth when Mariah Reynolds' sacrifice fly to right field allowed Tewey to score the game-tying run and make it 1-1.

The Ospreys took the 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth with Thomas notching the game-winning run on a Katie Mandigo double.

Cortney Radke pitched all 7.0 innings en route to improving to 4-0 on the season. Radke allowed one run off five hits and struck out three.

Shelby Graves was credited with the loss after coming in relief and giving up one run off three hits in 3.2 innings. She also struck out three.

Mandarano led the Ospreys with a 2-for-4 performance from the plate.

UNF returns to action for the second day of the FIU Tournament on Saturday. The Ospreys face Dartmouth at 3 p.m., and FIU at 7 p.m., at the FIU Softball Stadium.