Jacksonville, Fla. – Sophomore MacKinley Portillo's first career shutout was enough for Jax State to top Jacksonville, 1-0, to begin the second day of the River City Leadoff.
 
Portillo's first appearance of 2025 marked just her fourth career start as she allowed three hits and a couple of base on balls. The Douglas, Ala., native, faced just 24 batters as the Gamecock infield turned a trio of double plays behind her in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings. In the final frame, JU threatened with the tying run at second and winning run at first with only one out when Kailey Martin came up with a clutch unassisted double play at first base to seal the 1-0 victory.
 
Jax State equally struggled to find rhythm offensively. The Gamecocks scratched across the only run of the game in the third after sophomore Emma Elrod led off the inning with a triple and later scored on Morgan Nowakowski's infield groundout.
 
However, in a reversal from the previous night's outcome, Jax State fell in the nightcap this time around in a 2-1 decision to North Florida on the Ospreys' home turf.
 
Junior Jordan Eslinger made the start for the Gamecocks going four innings with just four hits allowed. UNF managed a pair of runs early in the second frame off two hits and a couple of Jax State miscues.
 
Jax State cut into the deficit in the fifth when Kailey Martin led off with a single. She was relieved on the base path by Ella Pate, who came home on a pinch-hit RBI by from Megan Rasmussen. Unfortunately, that would be all that came the rest of the way Saturday evening as the Gamecocks fell, 2-1.
 
Jax State's final contest of the weekend is Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. ET / 9:00 CT versus JU again. It will be a de facto rubber match game after the two sides have split their first two meetings over the weekend.