OXFORD, Ala. - The Eastern Kentucky University softball team's season came to an end on Saturday night, coming up short in a hard-fought battle against the North Florida Ospreys.
The Colonels finish the season at 38-16 overall, taking second place in both the regular season standings and the conference tournament.
Maddi Rutan (18-10) took the final start of the season, pitching 5.0 innings in the contest.
Lauren Narvaez made a relief appearance in the sixth inning to finish the game.
The Colonels struck first in the opening frame. Following a leadoff walk and a stolen base by
Jaelin Haynes, Rutan rocketed a grounder at the Osprey shortstop, ricocheting off the fielder's chest for an RBI single. The Eagles responded in the bottom of the inning with a run of their own.
After a scoreless second and third inning, the Colonels inched in front again in the fourth with another run.
Jada McLeod snuck a drive just past the outstretched glove of the diving Osprey right fielder. The ball rolled all the way to the wall, allowing the freshman to touch all four bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Once more, UNF notched a run of their own in the bottom of the inning to tie the game before plating three more in the fifth to take a 2-5 lead.
Needing a rally heading into the sixth, the Colonels put two runs on the board in response to cut the deficit to 4-5. With runners on first and second,
Lilly Davis skied a ball to deep left field, dropping just in front of the fence for an RBI double.Â
The Colonels could not find a final run to tie the score and force extra innings, falling in the championship game to the Ospreys.
Rutan, Narvaez, and Haynes earned All-Tournament honors for the Colonels. All-Conference honors will be announced early next week.
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