JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 University of Massachusetts\u00a0softball dropped both doubleheader contests\u00a0against Jacksonville\u00a0on\u00a0Saturday\u00a0at\u00a0Debbie & Fred Pruitt Softball Complex.\u00a0Jacksonville\u00a0earned\u00a0an\u00a013-1\u00a0win in game\u00a0one of the\u00a0day,\u00a0and an 8-0\u00a0victory in game two of the\u00a0second day of the\u00a0River City Leadoff.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
UMass opens the season at 0-4\u00a0overall on the season, while North Florida moves to 3-1\u00a0overall.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Massachusetts returns to action on Sunday, Feb.\u00a08\u00a0with a\u00a0matchup against\u00a0Colgate\u00a0\u00a0at\u00a010:00 a.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Game 1\u00a0
\nJacksonville 13, Massachusetts 1\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In\u00a0Massachusetts\u00a0opening contest of the day, the trio of Riain Keefe<\/a>, Lillie Scheivert<\/a> and Tiegan Walsh<\/a> had one hit each,\u00a0with Scheivert plating the first\u00a0Minutwomen\u00a0run of the season. Brooke Musch<\/a>, Lilly\u00a0Woodworth\u00a0and Sofia\u00a0Thormeyer\u00a0worked walks in the contest,\u00a0and\u00a0Musch\u00a0swiped her second bag of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0Minutewomen\u00a0opened the game with a quick start, as Keefe beat out an infield single, and advanced to third following a wild pitch and groundout.\u00a0Schievert\u00a0plated Keefe with a single to right field, putting UMass on the board first. In the bottom of the frame,\u00a0Hannah Streicher<\/a> worked her way out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation to keep the\u00a0Minutewomen\u00a0ahead 1-0\u00a0after\u00a0one inning.\u00a0<\/p>\n Following a\u00a0two-inning\u00a0stalemate\u00a0where the programs combined for just two baserunners, Jacksonville exploded in the bottom of the third, tallying eight runs on six hits, taking a commanding 8-1 lead.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The floodgates continued to flow for the Dolphins, as they scored five more runs in the bottom of the fifth on six hits, extending the Jacksonville\u00a0lead\u00a0to 13-1. Despite a single from Walsh and throwing error\u00a0on the\u00a0ensuing\u00a0at-bat from\u00a0Thormeyer\u00a0to place both runners in scoring position, the Minutemen were unable to capitalize and\u00a0enact\u00a0the run rule,\u00a0falling \u00a013-1 after five.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hannah Streicher<\/a> (0-2) had the loss for the\u00a0Minutewomen, allowing five\u00a0runs (all\u00a0earned) on\u00a0five\u00a0hits\u00a0and\u00a0walking two\u00a0over\u00a02.1\u00a0innings.\u00a0Jordan White\u00a0(2-0) received the win for the\u00a0Dolphins, allowing\u00a0one\u00a0run\u00a0on three hits, walked three\u00a0and struck out\u00a0three\u00a0over five innings of work.<\/p>\n Game 2\u00a0\u00a0 In the second matchup of the day,\u00a0Musch, Keefe and Scheivert all added hits, with\u00a0Musch\u00a0going 2-3 on the day.\u00a0Katharine Heslin<\/a> worked a walk, and\u00a0Musch\u00a0swiper her third bag of season. Walsh also added a stolen base.\u00a0<\/p>\n Massachusetts once again opened with a promising first inning,\u00a0as after\u00a0Heslin secured a two-out walk, Scheivert\u00a0smashed her\u00a0third hit of the season. Trying to extend to third base, however, Heslin was thrown out, ending the top of the opening frame.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Dolphins picked up where they left off in the first game, plating two runs in the bottom of the frame on a bloop and blast from\u00a0Jacksonville’s\u00a0Emma Mansfield and Kate Linkletter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jacksonville added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth, taking a 6-0 lead into the fifth inning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Massachusetts\u00a0opened\u00a0the top of the sixth with consecutive singles, but a double play tarnished the scoring opportunity. The Dolphins responded with two more runs in the\u00a0bottom of the sixth, ending the game by run rule, 8-0.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nJacksonville\u00a08, Massachusetts\u00a00\u00a0<\/p>\n