JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida softball (13-6) showed off its defense against Army (6-13), and produced with big numbers on offense against Northern Kentucky (4-13), sweeping the opening day of the UNF Invitational on Friday at the UNF Softball Complex.
Ashley Connor kept the Ospreys in a defensive struggle against the Black Knights with a career-high 10 strikeouts, but a go-ahead RBI-triple from
Chloe Culp was what surged UNF to their first win of the weekend. The next game was won from the plate, as the bats got hot to score nine runs against Northern Kentucky, including a go-ahead double from
Abi Annett in the fifth inning.
Annett was one of the bats that stayed hot during both games, going a combined 4-for-8 with three RBIs and a run scored. She also had solo shot in the second inning against Northern Kentucky.
Shannon Glover also notched her eighth multi-hit game of the season going 3-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs scored.
GAME 1 | UNF 5, Army 1
Connor pitched one of her best games as an Osprey with a career-best 10 strikeouts to shut down the Black Knights, 5-1.
Pitchers of Record
Win:
Ashley Connor (3-3)
Loss: Olivia Farris (2-7)
Line Scores
ARMY | 1 R, 5 H, 4 E, 7 LOB
UNF | 5 R, 8 H, 1 E, 6 LOB
Behind the Line Score
- An error helped UNF push across one in the first, as Kayla Harper reached, stole second and eventually scored on a Shannon Glover RBI groundout.
- Connor found her groove, fanning seven through five while getting solid play by the defense behind her.
- Army managed to even things up in the sixth when a leadoff infield single eventually came around for a run, as a soft fly ball to right center ended up dropping between fielders to score the tying run with two outs.
- UNF shook off the top half of the sixth by erupting for four runs in the bottom half, which started with Glover reaching on a leadoff error.
- She was later scored on after an RBI-triple by Culp down the right field line, followed by Madisyn Federico sending her home with a single to left.
- Federico stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and eventually came across home on a single by Annett.
- The fifth run came through after a fielding error was followed by a throwing error on the ball's return to the infield.
- Connor finished with 10 total strikeouts, the most in her career, after sitting down two in the seventh.
Statistical Leaders
UNF
Abi Annett | 2-3, RBI
Logan Jackson | 2-4
Ashley Kirkbride | 2-3
Chloe Culp | 1-3, RBI, R
Ashley Connor | 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 10 K, 1 BB, 105 pitches
ARMY
Angelina Bebek | 2-4, R
Kayla Edwards | 1-3, RBI
Olivia Farris | 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 K, 0 BB, 75 pitches
GAME 2 | UNF 9, NKU 5
After trailing twice and being tied three different times, the Ospreys pushed through with nine runs on offense fueled by Glover and Annett to with their second game of the day, 9-5.
Pitchers of Record
Win:
Ashley Connor (4-3)
Loss: Alicia Flores (2-5)
Line Scores
NKU | 5 R, 7 H, 1 E, 4 LOB
UNF | 9 R, 9 H, 2 E, 6 LOB
Behind the Line Score
- NKU used small ball to plate one in the second just before Abi Annett evened the game at 1-1 with a solo home run to center.
- The Norse tallied two hits, but took advantage of an error to go up, 3-1, in the third.
- Glover tagged a solo shot to center, getting UNF within one the following time up.
- UNF answered with a three-spot in the fourth inning, finished off by a flared double to left.
- The run-trading ensued in the fifth with the Norse posting three singles and a successful first-and-third double steal attempt.
- NKU had a chance at another run in the fifth, but a great glove flip on an attempted safety squeeze retired a Norse runner at the plate.
- UNF scored for a fourth-straight inning with a two-out RBI-double from Annett off the left field wall.
- Three important insurance runs were provided by a two-out single up the middle from Glover, as well as an RBI-base knock from Culp back up the box.
- Connor cruised through the seventh to secure her second win of the day and fourth win of the season.
Statistical Leaders
UNF
Shannon Glover | 3-3, 3 RBI, 3 R, BB, solo HR
Abi Annett | 2-4, 2 RBI, R
Kayla Harper | 1-3, 2 RBI
Chloe Culp | 1-3, RBI, BB
Ashley Connor | 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, 0 BB, 34 pitches
NKU
Olivia Pastin | 2-3, 2 RBI, 2 R
Maddie Lacer | 1-2, RBI
Jena Rhoads | 1-3, RBI
Alicia Flores | 5.2 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 4 K, 5 BB, 125 pitches
NOTES
- Second time this season winning a pair of games in the same day.
- Also second time starting back-to-back games at 9 a.m., on the year.
- Connor has combined for 17 strikeouts in her past two starts in the circle.
- Glover has recorded three or more hits in three games on the season, as well as nine games in her career.
- Annett smashed her first home run of the season and seventh of her career.
- Logan Jackson has reached base in 19 straight games to start the season.
- Game against NKU was first of the season that Savannah Channell did not start.
UP NEXT
The Ospreys continue onto the second day of the UNF Invitational with rematches against both Northern Kentucky and Army starting at approximately 5 p.m., at UNF Softball Complex.