JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The IUPUI softball team began the 2023 season with a win and loss on the opening day of the River City Leadoff. The Jags defeated Syracuse, 6-5 to begin the day then fell to North Florida in five innings after a lengthy lightning delay, 8-0.
Maicey Bedrick launched the first home run of the season while freshman
Alexa Holman earned her first collegiate win in game one.
IUPUI took game one over Syracuse, 6-5. In the bottom of the first inning, Syracuse scored two runs off two wild pitches to take the early lead, 2-0. IUPUI tied the game up at 2-2 in the top of the third inning when
Kayla Freiberg earned her first Jaguar RBI with a single followed by a fielding error to score
Kelli Riordan.
Syracuse retook the lead with two runs in the bottom of the third inning, 4-2. The Jags stuck back with three runs on two hits in the top of the fourth inning. Bedrick led off the inning, hitting her first homer of the season over the left field fence. Freiberg then collected her second RBI with a single to third base, scoring
Jaylin Calvert. After loading the bases,
Jordan Jenkins walked, scoring
Morgan Gilbert to take the 5-4 lead.
With one run on three hits, Syracuse tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but IUPUI took the lead, scoring the winning run in the top of the sixth inning. Freiberg collected her third RBI of the game with a double to right field, scoring Riordan, sealing the lead at 6-5.
Holman earned the win after entering in the third inning, throwing five innings and striking out one. Freiberg went 3-for-4 with three RBI while Bedrick and
Jaida Speth recorded hits as well.
In game two of the River City Leadoff, IUPUI fell to North Florida, 8-0 in five innings. The Jags were down 7-0 in the fifth inning when lightning struck and sent the game into a lengthy delay.
North Florida took the lead early in the second inning with five runs on five hits and one Jaguar error. UNF scored one run in the fourth inning to extend their lead to 7-0 then closed out the game in the fifth inning, 8-0.
Madison Bryant took the loss giving up seven runs, five of those unearned on eight hits and three walks.
Jaida Speth recorded a double for the Jags while freshman
Kennedy Cowan recorded her first collegiate hit in the loss.
IUPUI will continue the River City Leadoff tomorrow morning with a first pitch at 9:00 AM against Syracuse. They will also go head-to-head with Jacksonville at 3:00 PM.
