JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida softball secured the doubleheader sweep in its first games of the season, as the Ospreys (2-0) defeated Fordham (1-2), 10-2, in five innings and Southern Miss (0-2), 4-3, in dramatic fashion thanks to an Abi Annett walk-off two-run home run in the 10th inning on Friday evening at UNF Softball Complex.

GAME 1 | UNF 10, FOR 2

Ospreys started off hot in the season opener, scoring five runs in the first inning. Starter Allison Benning tossed a complete game while bringing home two runs and striking out six. Senior Abi Annett sealed the victory for the Ospreys in the bottom of the fourth with a bases clearing double to make the score 10-2. Benning sealed the run rule victory in the top of the fifth, picking up her first win of the campaign. 

Pitchers of Record
Win: Allisson Benning (1-0) 
Loss: Bailey Enoch (0-1)

Line Scores
UNF | 10 R, 9 H, 0 E, 6 LOB
FOR | 2 R, 3 H, 2 E, 2 LOB

Behind the Line Score

• Benning made her Osprey debut with a 1-2-3 first inning.
• Benning gave herself some run support with a two-RBI single in the bottom of the first.
• This was part of a five run first inning for the Ospreys with Kirsten Caravaca bringing home the fifth run with an RBI single of her own. 
• The Ospreys tacked on two more runs in the second inning by way of Logan Jackson's two-RBI single.
• Fordham saw its first base runner in the top of the fourth when Bailey Enoch reached on a single.
• The Rams managed to tack on two runs in the fourth inning via back-to-back singles from Eva Koratsis and Nicki Sudall
• The Ospreys made it an eight-run game in the bottom of the fourth thanks to Annett who cleared the bases on a three-RBI double. 
• Benning completed the game with five innings pitched and four strikeouts on two earned runs, picking up the first victory of her Osprey career

Statistical Leaders
UNF
Abi Annett | 1-3, 3 RBI 
Logan Jackson | 1-3, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB 
Allisson Benning | 1-3, 2 RBI, 1 R
Savannah Channell | 2-3, 1 R
Alison Benning | 5.0 IP, 3 H, 6 K, 1 BB, 2 ER

FOR
Eva Koratsis | 1-2, RBI
Nicki Sudall  | 1-2, RBI 
Bailey Enoch | 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 K, 4 BB

GAME 2 | UNF 4, USM 3

The Ospreys achieved the doubleheader sweep thanks to a walk-off blast from Abi Annett in the bottom of the tenth inning to lift UNF to a 4-3 victory over Southern Miss. UNF struggled at the plate, going scoreless for the first six innings before Alison Benning broke the deadlock with an RBI single. 

The Golden Eagles tied the game up in the top of the seventh before taking a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth. Logan Jackson hit a RBI triple in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score yet again. Southern Miss made it 3-2 in the top of the 10th thanks to an RBI double before Annett stepped up to the plate in the bottom half of the inning and hit a walk-off two-run home run to secure the second victory of the day for the Ospreys. 

Pitchers of Record
Win: Allison Benning (2-0)
Loss: BrookLynn White (0-1)

Line Scores
UNF | 4 R, 5 H, 0 E, 7 LOB
USM | 3 R, 7 H, 0 E, 12 LOB

Statistical Leaders
UNF
Abi Annett | 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB 
Madisyn Federico | 1-4, 1 R, 1 SB 
Logan Jackson | 1-4, RBI
Halle Arends| 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 4 K, 5 BB
Allison Benning | 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 4 K 

USM
Hannah Borden | 1-5, RBI 
Maria Smith | 1-4, RBI 
Natalie Taylor | 1-3, RBI, 2 BB 
Loganne Step | 6.0, 2 H, 1 R, 3 K, 4 BB

NOTES

• Benning picked up two wins and ten strikeouts from the mound while bringing in two RBI at the plate in her Osprey debut 
• Annett tallied a walk-off home run and five RBI over the course of both games
• Second time in last three seasons the Ospreys have started 2-0 with the last time being in 2022 
• Jackson and Annett combined for nine RBI through both games
• Arends tossed six scoreless innings in her first start of the season against Southern Miss 

UP NEXT

The Ospreys continue the River City Leadoff taking on Ball State Saturday at 4 p.m. and James Madison at 6:30 p.m. at the UNF Softball Complex.