JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Eastern Kentucky University softball team split a doubleheader with North Florida on Saturday evening at the UNF Softball Complex.  EKU won game one 8-0 and dropped game two 7-3, both teams play for the series victory on Sunday afternoon.
 
With the split, EKU (37-7, 18-2 ASUN) has just four conference regular season games left on the doc.  With a win tomorrow, the Colonels would secure their ninth consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference series win dating back to 2023.
 
Freshman Makayla Mathis led the Colonels going 4-for-5 from the plate.  Senior Vianna Barron went an even 3-for-6 on Saturday with two doubles.
 
Additionally, Maggie Pertee totaled two doubles on the day and Jasmine Miller sent her team-leading seventh home run this season in game one.
 
Maddi Rutan earned the win in game one, the freshman went six innings of scoreless ball with eight strikeouts for her 22nd win of the year.
 
Game One: EKU 9, North Florida 0
EKU opened its scoring effort in the top of the third as Maggie Pertee doubled to the right center wall, scoring Madison Scott and pinch-runner Kennedy Drafton.
 
In the Colonels' next at-bat, EKU loaded the bases on three straight walks and freshman Makayla Mathis scored a run via hit by pitch, forcing UNF's Allison Benning out of the game in just three short innings with three walks, three hits, and four earned runs.  
 
EKU scored one additional run in the fourth as Jasmine Miller hit a sacrifice fly to deep left field, extending a 4-0 lead.
 
Miller, Vianna Barron, and Jaelin Haynes had hits in innings five and six to pad EKU's lead to 9-0.  The score would hold after six innings of play ending in mercy rule.
 
The No. 5 two-way player in the country by Softball America, Rutan (22-3), earned the win over the No. 4 two-way player in the same poll, Benning.  The Columbus, Indiana product threw a six-inning shutout with eight strikeouts, only allowing five hits.
 
Game Two: North Florida 7, EKU 3
Tayteum Vigansky (7-2) went 2.1 innings and ended with the loss allowing two earned runs off three hits and two walks.
 
The Colonels were held scoreless for five innings before Scott brought in a run off an error and Jeanay Riley singled through the left side, narrowing the gap to 6-2.
 
UNF's Benning doubled to right in the bottom of the inning to extend the Ospreys' lead back to five, 7-2.
 
EKU scored one more run in the top of the seventh but could not muster the offense to complete the comeback.
 
Next Up
EKU and North Florida complete the series tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST back at UNF Softball Stadium.  The game will not be streamed live on ESPN+, fans can follow along on Sidearm's live stats.