TAMPA, Fla. (March 21, 2007) ? After shutting out Princeton, 5-0, in game one, the University of South Florida softball team couldn't overcome an early deficit and lost the second game, 3-1, on Wednesday night at the USF Softball Field.

Bree Spence and Kristen Gordon combined for the shutout in game one. Spence (5-4) pitched five innings with five hits and two strikeouts. Gordon provided two hitless, scoreless innings of relief. In game two, Cristi Ecks (8-5) tossed five innings, giving up two runs on five hits with five Ks.

Designated player JoJo Medina extended her home-run hitting streak to three games with two on the day. The redshirt freshman had three RBIs with a 1.000 (3-for-3) batting average. Kit Dunbar and Tara Toscano also had three hits and batted .500 with 3-for-6 efforts at the plate. 

In game one, Medina homered in the second inning to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead.

USF (27-15) added three runs in the third inning and one in the sixth. Medina started the offensive surge with another RBI off a single and Aya Nakajima and Ashley Bullion followed with an RBI on a groundout and a single. In the sixth, freshman Brittany Villa registered an RBI single ? both career firsts for the rookie.

In game two, Princeton (9-9) scored two runs on a bases-loaded single by Kathryn Welch to end the scoreless tie, 2-0.

Medina cut the Tigers lead into half hitting a first-pitch, leadoff homer in the sixth inning. After Princeton added another run in the seventh, the Bulls couldn't mount a comeback in the bottom of the inning.

USF will take the weekend off before leaving the Tampa Bay area for the first time all season when it travels to Stetson on Tuesday for a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m.