TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Jax State's return to the NCAA Regional ended after two games following an 11-0 five-inning lost to host Florida State on Saturday. The Gamecocks ended their season with a 45-16 overall record.
"I can't say enough how proud I am of this team," said coach
Julie Boland. "I know we didn't finish the season the way we wanted to; a loss like that is always hard and unfortunately we have to end our season on the loss."
The No. 9 Seminoles (50-9) took control of the game with a four-run second inning with a solo homer and a two-out RBI triple followed by an RBI single.
Jax State looked to respond in the bottom of the third, getting singles from
Haleigh Cushingberry and
Emma Elrod to start the inning, but ACC Pitcher of the Year Jazzy Francik struck out the next three she faced.
That shifted momentum to the hosts who added four more in the top of the fourth when six consecutive hitters reached. A solo homer by Haley Griggs was followed by a three-run blast from Jaysani Beachum. The Seminoles added three more in the fifth on three hits.
Elrod,
Morgan Nowakowski, and
Amber Reed, the top three hitters in the batting order were responsible for three of the four hits, joining Cushingberry in the nine-hole.
Four different pitchers saw time in the circle for Jax State, with
Yulai Woodruff finishing the final inning scoreless, inducing a double play when Cushingberry made a diving catch in left and threw to second to get the runner who was already past third.
"I'm proud of their heart, their commitment to the program, and their fight throughout the season," said Boland.
