TAMPA, Fla. – The Hampton University softball team opened the 2015 season at the South Florida Under Armour Invite Thursday through Sunday, competing in six games over the course of four days at the USF Softball Stadium.
 
Game 1: South Florida 7, Hampton 5
The Lady Pirates (0-6) opened the season on Thursday with a 7-5 loss to South Florida, a contest in which the host Bulls committed three errors.
 
Hampton opened up the game with three runs in the top of the first inning; after junior Diamond Ponds (Riverside, Calif.) walked and junior Taylor McCoy (Riverview, Fla.) reached on an error, freshman Allyson Babinsack (Hampton, Va.) hit a home run in her first collegiate at-bat.
 
The Bulls answered with a three-run shot of their own in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 3-3.
 
Another three-run shot in the bottom of the second gave South Florida a 6-3 lead, before the Lady Pirates answered with a pair of runs in the top of the third. Ponds scored on an RBI groundout from junior Jessica Reiman (Massillon, Ohio), before Babinsack scored after sophomore Kayla DeSchepper (Lakewood, Colo.) reached on an error to cut the lead to 6-5.
 
A sac fly in the bottom of the third gave South Florida a 7-5 lead.
 
Babinsack went 1-for-3 at the plate, scoring twice and driving in three runs. Senior Jailynn Jackson (Virginia Beach, Va.) struck out three batters in six innings of work.
 
Game 2: Jacksonville 9, Hampton 1
Jacksonville opened Friday's action with a 9-1 win over the Lady Pirates.
 
The Dolphins scored twice in each of the first two innings, leading 4-0 before adding a run in the top of the third to take a 5-0 lead. A home run in the top of the fifth gave Jacksonville a 6-0 lead.
 
Reiman got Hampton on the board in the bottom of the sixth with a sac fly to center field, scoring sophomore Danielle Budden (Jackson, N.J.), who had singled earlier in the frame and advanced to third on a single from McCoy.
 
Jacksonville added three runs in the top of the seventh.
 
Babinsack, making her first career start at pitcher, struck out four batters in six innings.
 
Game 3: No. 1 Florida 17, Hampton 0 (five innings)
The top-ranked Gators scored seven times in the first inning, before pushing across six more runs in the second inning, to break open the game.
 
Hampton was held to one hit – a single from McCoy in the fourth inning.
 
Game 4: Jacksonville 8, Hampton 0 (six innings)
The first of two games on Saturday wrapped up in six innings, as Jacksonville won 8-0.
 
The Dolphins scored four times in the bottom of the third inning, before Jacksonville added a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning to take an 8-0 lead and end the game.
 
The Lady Pirates were held to four hits, while Jackson struck out two in five innings of work.
 
Game 5: Illinois State 5, Hampton 1
Illinois State opened the game with a run in the bottom of the first inning, before taking a 3-0 lead in the third inning after a two-run home run. The Redbirds added a pair of runs in the fourth inning to take a 5-0 lead.
 
The Lady Pirates loaded the bases in the top of the sixth, when Margaret Wilkins (Tustin, Calif.) singled to right field, Budden reached on a fielder's choice, and McCoy singled to the right side. Wilkins then scored when Babinsack was hit by a pitch.
 
Babinsack struck out two in six innings of work.
 
Game 6: No. 8 Michigan 9, Hampton 2
The Lady Pirates closed the tournament on Sunday with its second game against a ranked opponent, falling to the Wolverines.
 
Eighth-ranked Michigan took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, thanks in large part to a two-run home run, before the Wolverines added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 6-0 lead.
 
Hampton scored its two runs in the top of the sixth, first when freshman Jada Fields (Woodland Park, N.J.) walked with the bases loaded to bring in Budden. Sophomore Taylor Clark (Queen Creek, Ariz.) then reached on a fielder's choice to score McCoy.
 
Michigan scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-2 lead.
 
Budden and McCoy each had a hit against the Wolverines, and Babinsack struck out three in six innings of work.
 
The Lady Pirates will return to action Feb. 20-21 in the Paladin Classic in Greenville, S.C. For more information on Hampton University softball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.