Bats Get Hot as Softball Downs Charleston Southern

Saturday, March 9

Jacksonville, Fla.

7:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

10-8

Charleston Southern

6-19

Charleston Southern

North Florida

Dominica Cocuzza hits the ball against USC Upstate in 2018.

Photo by: Todd Drexler

3/9/2019 9:03:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Behind two clutch hits from senior Dominica Cocuzza and seven strikeouts from Sydney Matzko, the North Florida softball team took down Charleston Southern, 11-3, in five innings on Saturday evening at the UNF Softball Field.

Pitchers of Record:
Win | Matzko (4-4)
Loss | Arizona Pilgrim (3-10)

How it Happened:

Three walks in the first inning loaded the bases before a sac fly from Paige Pfent put the first run up. A bloop single to short right field from Veronika Klimplova brought in Cocuzza for the 2-0 lead.
Charleston Southern evened the score with a run in the second and third before the Ospreys put up a three-spot in the bottom of the third.
Cocuzza slammed her second home run of the season over the left field wall to score two. Taylor Engman led off the inning with a double. Later in the inning, Rindy Bryant sent a single to left field to score Navia Penrod who reached on a single of her own.
In the fourth, Tiffany Lower sent the second home run of the game in almost identical fashion to make it a 6-2 game.
The Buccaneers added another run in their side of the fifth, but North Florida got hot in the fifth to run-rule the visitors.
A single, error and walk loaded the bases before another walk made it 7-3 for UNF.
With the bases loaded, Engman hit her second double of the day down the left line to score two. North Florida took the win when Cocuzza stepped in and hit a double off the fence to bring in the game-ending run.

Statistical Leaders:
UNF

Cocuzza | 2-for-3, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2B, HR
Lower | HR, BB, 3 R
Taylor Engman | 2B, 2 RBI
Matzko | 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

Charleston Southern

Annie Bakehus | 2-for-3, 2 R
Caitlyn Emberson | 2-for-3, RBI

NOTES

The Ospreys had a season-high 11 RBI - the second double-figure RBI game of the season.
North Florida earned six walks to match a season-high.
Lower and Engman are both on five-game hit streaks.
All but one Osprey reached base at least once.
It is the fifth time this season that UNF recorded double digit hits (11).
This is the third time this year that North Florida has won in less than seven innings.

Up Next
UNF closes out its week against Presbyterian at 3 p.m. on Sunday.