TAMPA, Fla. (March 13, 2007) ? The University of South Florida softball team posted a perfect 2-0 record in day one of the Spring Break Tournament, defeating Long Island University, 6-5, in eight innings and then shutting out Quinnipiac, 2-0, at the USF Softball Field Tuesday night.
In game one, Kit Dunbar drove in the tying run for USF (20-12) in the sixth inning and JoJo Medina hit the game-wining RBI single in the eighth to lead the Bulls to their first extra-inning victory of the season.
In the second game, Kristen Gordon and Cristi Ecks combined for the three-hit shutout victory. Gordon (7-2) went five innings and gave up two hits while striking out three. Ecks, who won the first game against LIU, picked up the save in two innings of work with one hit and five Ks. Three of her strikeouts came in the seventh when she retired the side. Ecks now has nine career saves, tying Jennifer Thompson for third place all-time.
On the day, two USF players tallied three-hit games. Tara Toscano went 3-for-4 and batted a team-best .750, while Alison Savarese had a 3-for-6 outing and an RBI. Britta Giddens led all players driving in two runs.
With the Blackbirds (6-12) leading 1-0 in the first game, the USF offense scored four runs in the first two innings to take a 4-1 advantage. Danielle Urbanik and Savarese opened up the scoring with RBI singles in the first inning. In the second, Giddens singled down the right-field line, driving in Jessica Landau from second base. With two outs and runners at the corners, a fielding error by the LIU shortstop scored the Bulls last run of the inning.
In the fifth inning, LIU rallied for four runs to regain the lead, 5-4. With runners at first and second, consecutive wild pitches scored the first run of the inning and a double cut the lead down to one. Another wild pitch put a runner at third base and a single by Celina Castillo scored the equalizer. After a USF error on the previous play advanced both runners an extra base, a single by Mariesha Marker drove in the go-ahead run.
After reliever Kristen Gordon gave up two runs to LIU in the fifth, she managed to hold off the Blackbirds from scoring despite having two runners on base in the sixth.
Ecks (6-3) started the seventh inning and shut down any scoring chance, pitching two innings of hitless, scoreless relief with two Ks.
In game two, USF took the early 2-0 lead in the third inning thanks to Bobcats misplays. Aya Nakajima and Hillary Wolf led off the inning with consecutive singles. A failed pickoff attempt on Wolf at first base turned into a two-base error, scoring Nakajima and leaving Wolf at third base. Giddens drove in the last run of the inning off a sacrifice fly.
The Bulls will conclude the Spring Break Tournament on Wednesday when they face Indiana at 4 p.m. and George Mason at 6 p.m.
