CLEARWATER, Fla. - - The University of South Florida softball team opened up play at the 2008 Under Armour Invitational with a 5-4 win over the Maine Black

Bears at the EC Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla.
With the game knotted up at four runs apiece in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Alison Saverese came through big in a clutch situation. With the bases loaded, Savarese lined a pitch into left field to score the winning run that clinched the win for the Bulls.

USF (11-8) tallied 10 hits on the game, marking the third time in four games that the Bulls have reached double digits in the category.

In the bottom of the second inning, the Bulls got on the scoreboard first. Senior Aya Nakajima reached first on an error and stole second to place herself into scoring position. With one out, Nakajima came around to touch home after a RBI sacrifice fly from sophomore Caitlin Schneider.

The Bulls then extended their lead in the third when Britta Giddens got the inning started off right with a single up the middle. Tara Toscano and Kit Dunbar both matched Giddens' single to load the bases with no outs. Cleanup hitter Jo Jo Medina marked the fourth consecutive hit of the inning when she drove a line drive into left field that allowed both Giddens and Toscano to come around to score. Medina's fifth and sixth RBI of the season pushed USF to a commanding 3-0 lead.

The runs kept coming in the third inning when USF increased its advantage over Maine (0-13) to a four-run differential after a sacrifice fly from Savarese that scored Dunbar.

Although down, Maine was certainly not out. The Black Bears fought back by scoring one run in the fifth and two in the sixth to cut the Bulls' lead to 4-3.

In the top of the seventh, the pressure mounted as Maine had the tying run on at third and the go ahead run on at second with two outs. With USF needing just the final out to secure the victory, freshman pitcher Capri Catalano got Whitney Spangler to strike out swinging, but the ball got away from the catcher and allowed Spangler to reach first while the fourth run came home to tie up the game in unusual fashion. The Black Bears were unable to push across the go-ahead run after Catalano recorded another strikeout to end the frame.

Dunbar reached on an infield single and Medina doubled off the left field wall to begin the late rally in the home half of the seventh. After Cat Olnick was intentionally walked by Maine to set up a force out at every base, Savarese ended the game with her seventh RBI of the season.

The Bulls threw three different pitchers throughout the course of the game. Junior Christi Ecks got the start and threw 5.2 innings while surrendering three runs and striking out nine.  Kristen Gordon came on in relief of Ecks and tossed two-thirds of an inning allowing the game-tying run to score. Catalano's record on her freshman campaign moves to 3-0 after finishing off the game with 0.2 innings pitched and three strikeouts.

USF will continue play at the Under Armour Invitational against St. Joe's at 4:30 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. start but inclement weather in the Clearwater area has postponed the action.