TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2007) ? After the No. 22/23 ranked University of South Florida softball team won its first game of the day against Virginia, 4-2, freshman Alison Savarese hit a walk-off home run to lead the to victory over Arkansas, 2-1, on Saturday at the Best Western Tournament. With the win, the Bulls advance to the championship game at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday against Western Kentucky.
The Bulls opened up the first game scoring a run in four of the first five innings. Britta Giddens led off the first with a double up the middle and then advanced to third on a ground out. With a 2-2 count, Aya Nakajima drove in Giddens with a single to right field. Nakajima followed that up in the fourth inning with an RBI single, driving in Caitlin Schneider from third base after she tripled. In the third inning, Jessica Landau pulled the ball down the left field line for an RBI single with two outs on the board to put USF ahead by three runs. The scoring was capped off in the fifth, as Schneider drove in a run with a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.
In the top of the sixth inning the Bulls' shutout came to an end as Virginia (2-1) got on the board, 4-2, thanks to two USF misplays. Neither of the runs were earned due to a fielding and throwing error.
USF (3-1) held on for the win in the seventh inning as freshman pitcher Kristen Gordon closed out the game with two strikeouts and a fly out en route to her first-collegiate save. Gordon pitched one and two-thirds innings of hitless relief.
Cristi Ecks got the start and picked up her second win in as many days, allowing only one hit while striking out four in five and one-third innings.
With the win the Bulls became the No. 1 seed and took on No. 4 Arkansas at 3 p.m.
The game started off slow for both teams as they notched a hit apiece and combined for two errors in the first three innings.
After Arkansas took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, USF answered back in the sixth thanks to the bat of Danielle Urbanik once again. Tara Toscano led off the inning with a base hit, slicing the ball hard to the shortstop and beating out the throw to first base. With one out on the board, Urbanik hit a double to the gap in right center, scoring the equalizer. The RBI was the senior's sixth in the opening four games of the year.
All tied up 1-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, Savarese came up to bat to leadoff the inning and hit her first-collegiate home run, ending the game 2-1 in the Bulls favor.
Newcomer Courtney Mosch got the start in the circle and pitched five and one-third innings, allowing one run on six hits in the no-decision. Gordon came into the game in relief and held it scoreless for Bree Spence, who got the final two outs in the seventh inning and was credited with her first win of the year.
