University of North Florida softball coach Jeff Conrad said he watched Hallie Langford end a victory over his team with a superb defensive play in center field in 2025 when she was at Mercer.
She transferred to UNF during the offseason and Conrad is glad she’s on his side.
“It was great to see her have that moment on our field, in our uniform,” he said.
The moment could be the turning point of the ASUN Softball Tournament for the defending champion Ospreys if they pull themselves out of the loser’s bracket. At the very least, it kept them alive for another day, to face their Duval County rival 9 miles to the north.
Langford, the wife of former Florida Gator and Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford, threw out North Alabama pinch-runner Katie Davis at the plate trying to score from second on a hit by Jenna Madison in the bottom of the seventh inning, preserving a 1-0 victory over the Lions at the UNF Softball Complex and sending the Ospreys to an elimination game against Jacksonville University on May 8 at 2:30 p.m.
Seventh-seeded UNF (39-21) lost 4-2 earlier in the day to No. 2-seeded Stetson (34-20) and No. 4 JU (34-19) fell to top-seeded Central Arkansas (35-18-1) 8-0 in five innings.
Stetson and Central Arkansas will play in the winner’s bracket final at noon on May 8, and the UNF-JU winner will face the loser of that game at 5 p.m.
It will be the seventh meeting this season between UNF and JU but Langford said the opponent doesn’t matter.
“Let’s see another game,” he said. “Let’s see another day.”
Langford made up for earlier error
Langford’s throw was caught by catcher Addyson Bruneman several feet up the line and she made a sweeping tag of Davis, who was pinch-running after Holly Merritt led off the seventh with a single to left.
Bayleigh Rouse bunted Davis to second and one out later, Langford gunned her down at the plate for UNF’s second victory of the tournament over the third-seeded Lions.
It was a measure of redemption for Langford, who overran a base hit in the second inning against Stetson, allowing the first two runs of the Hatters to come in.
“I messed up on a similar ball so when I came in, I was making sure I was staying behind it,” she said. “I was trying to make a good throw and give us the best chance to get the out. I wanted the ball in that situation.”
Pitcher Cameron Ponich (16-4) was certainly happy Langford was in the right place at the right time. It preserved her eighth shutout and seventh complete game of the season.
“When I saw the ball go out there, I thought, ‘Oh no,’” said the junior right-hander. “Then I saw the throw coming in, Addy caught it and I was so happy and excited. Thank the Lord for Hallie’s throw and Addy’s catch.”
UNF’s only run came with two out in the first when Bella Cimino belted her 15th home run of the season to left. North Alabama pitcher Katie Simon (10-4) settled down and matched Ponich pitch-for-pitch, allowing only two more hits and just one UNF runner to reach second.
But Ponich mixed her pitches well, striking out four and walking only two.
Ospreys fell behind early to Hatters
In the loss to Stetson, UNF never made up ground after falling behind 2-0. The Hatters added single runs in the third on a bases-loaded walk and in the fourth on Nicole Edmiaston’s RB single.
The Ospreys cut the lead in half with a two-run homer by Bruneman, her second of the tournament, but Stetson reliever Madelyn Arnold threw 2.2 hitless innings.
JU, which beat Florida Gulf Coast 6-2 in its first tournament game, never got its offense on track against Central Arkansas pitcher Baile Runner (15-6). Runner had a no-hitter with two outs in the fifth but the Dolphins’ Emma Mansfield broke it up on a ground single to left.
JU won the two regular-season sets against UNF two games to one both times, and won the rubber match in the second series seven days ago at JU, 9-8.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Hallie Langford’s game-saving throw keeps UNF alive in ASUN softball
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
