JACKSONVILLE –
Lindsey Richardson's extra-inning heroics lifted the Jacksonville State softball team to a win over North Florida on Sunday and a series win over the Ospreys in ASUN Conference play.
Richardson delivered a two-out, pinch-hit single through the left side that scored
Keeli Bobbitt from second and capped a 5-4 walk-off win for the Gamecocks (19-13, 3-3 ASUN) over the Ospreys (26-9, 5-4 ASUN). The dramatic win came a day after the two split a doubleheader to open the series at University Field and gave JSU its first series win in ASUN play.
There were plenty of heroes in Sunday's win, including Bobbitt, who was 2-for-4 with the two-out single that put her on base and the steal of second base that put her in position to score the winning run. Pinch hitter
Hannah Buffington drew a walk to bring up Richardson for the game winning swing.
Richardson fouled off the first two pitches she saw from UNF reliever Erin Kyle to fall behind 0-2. After taking a ball on the third pitch, she hit a hard grounder on the left side that found the outfield. Bobbitt made a wide turn at third but got her left hand to the plate just ahead of catcher Paige Pfent's tag at the plate.
JSU also got heroics in the circle, where freshman
Sarah Currie entered with one out in the fourth and JSU trailing 4-2. She allowed just two baserunners – one hit and one walk – over the final 4 and 2/3 innings and kept the Ospreys off of the scoreboard to give her team a chance.
The Gamecocks took advantage of that chance and gave Currie (7-3) the win in relief of starter
Kat Carter, who threw the first 3 and 1/3 innings of the game.
JSU got two first-inning runs, thanks to an RBI single from
Megan Fortner and an RBI grounder from
Karsen Mosley, but the Ospreys answered quickly. Regan Hermeling led off the second with a single and Shannon Glover belted a two-run homer to deep left that tied the game at 2-2.
The Ospreys took the lead in the fourth on another long ball, this one a two-run shot to left from Savannah Channell that followed a Glover double and made it a 4-2 game.
The Gamecocks tied the game with a two-run sixth, an inning that saw them send eight batters to the plate. A leadoff walk to
Addie Robinson and singles from Mosley and Bobbitt loaded the bases with two outs, and an infield single from
Abbi Perkins and a four-pitch walk by
Sidney Wagnon plated two runs to tie the game.
After JSU tied the game, Currie didn't allow another baserunner.
Camryn McLemore led off the bottom of the eighth with a single to short, but a popped up bunt by
Brantly Bonds turned into a double play and cleared the bases to bring up Bobbitt to work her magic.
Kyle (6-5) suffered the loss for UNF after allowing the one runs on three hits in two innings of relief work. Morgan Clausen tossed the first 5 and 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks.
The Gamecocks' next game will be on Wednesday at 6 p.m., when they face No. 4 Alabama in the Inaugural Sand Mountain Showdown in Albertville, Ala. The game, which sold out within minutes of going on sale earlier in the year,
