Friday, February 9
Longwood, Fla.
2:30 p.m.
University of North Florida
1-0
5
vs
3
Illinois
1-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Illinois
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
3
8
4
North Florida
0
0
3
1
1
0
X
5
9
3
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Matzko, Sydney (1-0)
L: Taylor Edwards (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Kiana Sherlund 1 ; Carly Thomas 1
RBI: Stephanie Abello 1 ; Rowan McGuire 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kiana Sherlund 1 ; Sam Acosta 1 ; Carly Thomas 1
Batting:
2B: Cocuzza, Dominica 2
RBI: Penrod, Navia 1 ; Cocuzza, Dominica 1 ; Lower, Tiffany 1 ; Bryant, Rindy 1
SH: Woodson, Megan 2 ; McGory, Kayla 1 ; Lower, Tiffany 1 ; Bryant, Rindy 1
SF: Lower, Tiffany 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Penrod, Navia 1 ; Woodson, Megan 1 ; McGory, Kayla 2 ; Niesman, Ashley 1
SB: McGory, Kayla 1
CS: Arciola, Alex 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
SS
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballUT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
Photo by: Todd Drexler
Ospreys Edge Out Illinois, Dominate Providence To Open Season
2/9/2018 9:31:00 PM | Softball
Longwood, Fla. – North Florida Softball opened the season with a 5-3 win over Illinois before shutting out Providence 9-0 on Friday.
QUICK GLANCE
Score:Â North Florida 5, Illinois 3 | North Florida 9, Providence 0
Records:Â North Florida (2-0) | Illinois (1-1) | Providence (0-2)
Â
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)
Top Performers
GAME CAPSULES
Game 1
SAY WHAT
"Today was a great start to our season! Even though our defense was shaky in the opener, Sydney threw a great game and the offense came up with timely hits. Morgan and Amanda both threw well in game two. All three phases of the game came together and I couldn't be happier with our opening day performance." - Head Coach Marcie Higgs
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
NEXT UP
North Florida continues play in the Friends of Jaclyn Invitational tomorrow at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. UNF faces Louisville first followed by Butler.
Â
QUICK GLANCE
Score:Â North Florida 5, Illinois 3 | North Florida 9, Providence 0
Records:Â North Florida (2-0) | Illinois (1-1) | Providence (0-2)
Â
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)
Top Performers
- Junior Navia Penrod picked up right where she left off last season with a 7-for-9 performance. She knocked in two runs and added a stolen base.
- Classmate Dominica Cocuzza went 4-for-6 on the day with three doubles and a pair of RBIs.
- Senior Ashley Niesman also went 4-for-6 and scored three times.
- In her Osprey debut, Sydney Matzko threw a complete game, while striking out seven batters to pick up the victory against the Illini
- In the circle, Morgan Blourne and Amanda Blanchard combined to throw the shutout. Blourne tossed the first five innings -- striking out three and recording just two hits. Blanchard closed it down facing the minimum over the final two innings, fanning three.
GAME CAPSULES
Game 1
- The Illini started the scoring in the third with a pair of runs back-to-back fielder's choices.
- UNF responded with three runs in its half of the third. It started when Kayla McGory, reaching on a misplayed ball by Illinois, allowed Penrod to come in to score.
- Tiffany Lower hit a sac fly to bring in Megan Woodson before Rindy Bryant's successful sacrifice bunt was hit in the perfect spot for McGory to make it a 3-2 lead.
- Cocuzza extended the Ospreys' lead with a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the fourth.
- In the fifth, Penrod tallied her third hit of the game with an RBI single and with the help from a throwing error put UNF ahead, 5-2.
- With the bases loaded in the sixth, Illinois had just one out, but Ospreys starting pitcher Matzko worked around the jam to only allow one base runner to score. She sat the Illini down in order in the seventh to secure the victory. Â
- The Ospreys started the scoring quickly against the Friars as Penrod led the game off with a single. She came around to score on the McGory double into centerfield.
- UNF extended its lead in the third with three runs. It started with Lower hitting into a fielder's choice to bring home Woodson.
- Alex Arciola added a two-run double of her own to give the Ospreys a 4-0 lead.
- In the fifth, North Florida tacked on two more runs as Niesman executed a bunt single back to the pitcher to bring home Cocuzza. Arciola brought home another run on a sac fly to give to make it 6-0.
- Cocuzza scored Taylor Scott on a fielder's choice in the sixth before back-to-back RBI singles in the final frame gave the Ospreys a 9-0 victory.
SAY WHAT
"Today was a great start to our season! Even though our defense was shaky in the opener, Sydney threw a great game and the offense came up with timely hits. Morgan and Amanda both threw well in game two. All three phases of the game came together and I couldn't be happier with our opening day performance." - Head Coach Marcie Higgs
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Illinois is receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches and ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason polls.
- UNF picked up its first shutout since May 1st, 2017Â when the Ospreys defeated Jacksonville, 2-0.
- North Florida won its first game against Illinois and moved to 3-1 all-time against Providence.
- Game two saw UNF tally 13 hits, while the Osprey staff limited the Friars to just two hits.
NEXT UP
North Florida continues play in the Friends of Jaclyn Invitational tomorrow at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. UNF faces Louisville first followed by Butler.
Â
UNF Softball Complex Aerial Drone
Thursday, July 06
UNF Softball Fall Ball Scrimmage
Thursday, July 06
Pre-Tournament Interivew with Coach Hickey
Thursday, July 06
Head Softball Jeff Conrad - Hiring Feature
Wednesday, July 06
