STATESBORO - North Florida notched a non-conference doubleheader sweep of Georgia Southern softball on Wednesday at Eagle Field. The Ospreys won the first game, 2-1, in eight innings, then claimed the second game, 12-0, in five innings.
North Florida improved to 37-11 with the win, while Georgia Southern fell to 9-26 with the loss. The Eagles return to action on Friday, hosting the first of a three-game Sun Belt Conference series with Texas State at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 22.
Rylee Waldrep started both games of the doubleheader for the Eagles in the circle. She is the first Georgia Southern pitcher to start both games of a DH since Kierra Camp started twice against ULM on Mach 28, 2015. She also now has 83 starts for the Eagles, moving into ninth on the all-time games started list for the Eagles.
GAME ONE: North Florida 2, Georgia Southern 1 (8 inn.)
The Eagles broke up a no-hit bid by UNF's Halle Arends in the seventh inning, but the Ospreys were able to bring across the winning run in the eighth for the 2-1 victory in game one.
North Florida's Kayla McGory led off the top of the fourth inning with a shot off the foul pole down the left field line for a solo home run and the 1-0 lead.
Rylee Waldrep limited the Ospreys to just two baserunners after the fact, but Arends (17-3) walked only one Eagle through six to take that one-run lead into the seventh.
Janai Conklin led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk, then stole second. Ashlynn Gunter then hit a two-out RBI single through the left side, scoring Conklin and sending the game into extras.
With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, a runner was placed on second to start the eighth for UNF. A sacrifice bunt moved pinch-runner Maggie Trgo to third, then Bailee Aguigui hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Trgo with the winning run. In the bottom of the eighth, Olivia Creamer was placed on second, moved to third on Courtney Ball's sacrifice bunt, but Arends retired the next two hitters to close out the win.
GAME TWO: North Florida 12, Georgia Southern 0 (5 inn.)
The Ospreys completed the doubleheader sweep by rapping out 12 hits and launching a pair of home runs for the five-inning victory.
Shannon Glover went 4-for-4 with a triple and a home run to lead North Florida on the night, while Ashleigh Duty's two hits led Georgia Southern.
Waldrep (5-11) took the loss for the Eagles in game two, giving up three hits and three runs in 2/3rds of an inning. Morgan Clausen hurled four innings of three-hit shutout ball to get the win for UNF, improving to 12-3 on the year.
