DeLand, Fla. – Jax State was dispatched from the 2023 ASUN Conference softball championship Thursday afternoon following a 6-4 loss to Florida Gulf Coast after a late-inning rally came up just short.
The Gamecocks finish the season 31-22, the 23rd 30-plus win season under head coach
Jana McGinnis. JSU's final day ever in the ASUN ended with consecutive losses to teams bookending Jax State in the seeding order, No. 2 Liberty (4-2) and No. 4 FGCU (6-4). It was the first meeting against either squad all season.
A famed line reads 'don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened,' a sentiment that especially defines the most recent Gamecock team. Overcoming adversity was just one part of their story, while another was going down in history delivering Coach McGinnis' 1,000th win during the year.
Six Gamecock seniors wrap up their time with the Red and White, including fifth-year senior
Sidney Wagnon who finishes with 197 games played and 155 starts. Fellow seniors
Lauren Hunt,
Brantly Bonds,
Hannah Brown,
Camryn McLemore and
Holly Stewart all played significant roles on Thursday and throughout the season.
After falling behind No. 2 Liberty in the morning matchup, 1-0, JSU regained the lead on a
Lindsey Richardson single to right scoring Wagnon and
Abbi Perkins in the third inning.
Kat Carter was meticulously working through the Flame lineup with success until a couple of walks in the fourth opened the door for a 3-run homer that would hold for the final mark. Freshman
Jaliyah Holmes would relieve Carter from there with the duo only allowing five hits total. Unfortunately, JSU managed just three and was able to scratch across any runs to add to Richardson's.
In the afternoon elimination round contest with FGCU, JSU against struggled to find a rhythm offensively falling behind 5-0 by the top of the sixth. Richardson provided the late rally spark with a solo home run to begin the home half of the sixth, followed by a double from Bonds. The Corner, Ala., native, finished 2-for-3 at the plate in her 95 th start for JSU since arriving from Wallace State CC. Freshmen
Morgan Nowakowski and
Linley Tubbs drew walks behind Bonds to load the bases for Perkins who doubled home two runs to cut the margin to 5-3.
Emma Jones, who reached base three times against the Eagles, drove in a final run for the inning on a fielder's choice.
The Eagles tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh. JSU managed to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the inning after Bonds singled her final time up, but the late charge would fall short bringing an end to the 2023 campaign.
Jax State becomes an official member of Conference USA on July 1.
