JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The North Florida Softball team dropped both games in an A-Sun Conference doubleheader to USC Upstate Saturday at the UNF Softball Complex.
 
The Ospreys (19-29, 5-12 A-Sun) have now been eliminated from qualifying for the A-Sun Conference Tournament, while the Spartans (39-12, 11-5 A-Sun) have clinched the second seed in next week's tournament.
 
Game 1: USC Upstate 2, North Florida 1
 
The Ospreys struck first in the bottom of the second, with freshman Minnie Cocuzza tripled home sophomore Casey Estes for a 1-0 lead.
 
USC Upstate responded in the top of the third, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1.
 
After three scoreless innings, the Spartans scored a run on a RBI double, taking a 2-1 lead. They held off the Ospreys in the bottom half of the inning, taking the game one win.
 
Senior Shelby Duncan went 2-for-3 on the day to lead the offense, while junior Logan Green threw 6.2 innings, allowing six hits in the losing effort.
 
Game 2: USC Upstate 7, North Florida 0
 
USC Upstate broke a two inning stalemate, scoring three runs in the top of the third to take a 3-0 lead.
 
They added one run in the top of the sixth, before breaking the game open with three runs in the top of the seventh for a 7-0 lead.
 
The Ospreys' offense only mustered two hits, with Cocuzza and sophomore Alex Arciola notching hits for North Florida.
 
Next Up
 
The Ospreys conclude their season with the series finale tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the UNF Softball Complex.
 
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