NWF Season Ends in Oxford With a 3-2 Loss to Temple
OXFORD, Ala. – Northwest Florida State softball's season ended on Friday afternoon in Oxford, falling to five-seed Temple by a final score of 3-2.
The game was tightly contested throughout, with neither team gaining an advantage until the fifth inning. The Leopards grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth with a three-run home run to left field. However, the Raiders responded in the bottom half with a solo home run to left field by Sophia Jones, putting them on the board for the first time in the game.
The Raiders had an opportunity to do more damage in the bottom of the sixth inning, trailing 3-1 with the bases loaded. However, Temple's starter, Hayley Crawford, shut the door on the rally and got out of the inning with no runs allowed, keeping their two-run lead intact.
Despite the 3-1 score in the bottom of the seventh, Ashlyn Shirah demonstrated the team's resilience with a powerful two-out double to left field. Her effort was followed by a crucial RBI single from sister Arnold, reducing the deficit to just one. Christina Mason, the last hope for the Raiders, put up a valiant fight, but unfortunately, her line-out to the first baseman marked the end of their comeback opportunity.
Cailyn Heyl started for the Raiders and took just her second loss of the season. She kept the Raiders in the game, tossing 7.0 innings, allowing just three runs on one home run, and adding three strikeouts to her performance.
Despite falling short of their goal, the 2024 Raiders are one to remember. The team set a new program record for wins in a season with 58 and broke numerous other single-season records. Those records include most runs scored (515), most RBIs (510), most triples (27), most walks (248), most stolen bases (214), highest batting average (.366), highest on-base percentage (.459), and highest slugging percentage (.627) in a single season. In addition, a handful of Raiders broke some individual single-season records.
Sister Arnold (81), Ashlyn Shirah (78), and Christina Mason (72) all rank in the top three in RBIs for a single season. Shirah is also the single-season leader in runs scored in a season (87) and is tied for second with Sister Arnold for most hits in a season (82). Cailyn Heyl is the single-season wins leader for a pitcher with 37 wins.