Box Scores: Game 1 | Game 2
TAMPA ? The University of South Florida softball team completed another perfect weekend at home sweeping Syracuse, 5-4 and 1-0, on Sunday afternoon at the USF Softball Complex.
The Bulls improved to 36-13 overall and 11-1 in BIG EAST play. Syracuse fell to 14-22 and 5-7 in conference.
“We could have played a little better on the defensive side of the ball,” head coach Ken Eriksen said. “Our offense pulled us out of game one with those five runs in one inning.”
In game two, junior power hitter JoJo Medina led off the top of the sixth with a home run to score the game's only run.
The Bulls have hit at least one home run per weekend since the beginning of BIG EAST competition on March 28.
Medina finished 1-for-3, with a run and an RBI in the second game. Britta Giddens and Kit Dunbar finished 2-for-3 each.
Freshman pitcher Capri Catalano came out of the bullpen in the middle of the fifth to relieve Courtney Mosch and complete the shut out of the Orange.
Catalano was awarded the win to remain perfect at 11-0 for the season.
Game One
The Bulls scored all five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take game one from the Orange, 5-4.
With two outs in the fourth and the bases loaded, senior Aya Nakajima drove a three RBI double to right field to put the Bulls up 4-0.
USF added one more run when sophomore Tara Toscano singled up the middle to score Nakajima.
The Orange responded with two runs in the fifth frame before Capri Catalano came in to relieve pitcher Kristen Gordon in the sixth.
Catalano allowed one run in the seventh before stranding two runners on base to end the game.
“I've been saying it all year,” Eriksen added. “Inning after inning our pitching staff has kept us in these ball games and keep putting us out there to win these games.”
Bulls' pitchers struck out a combined eight batters, while allowing five hits, four runs and giving up four walks.
Senior pitcher Courtney Mosch was awarded the win to improve to 16-5 in the circle and Catalano picked up her fourth save of the season.
Nakajima finished the game 2-for-3, with three RBI and a run. Toscano went 2-for-4 and an RBI.
“It was a good team effort. Our batters got on base and Aya Nakajima was clutch in the fourth inning. In game two JoJo (Medina) did it once again for us. I can't say enough about the all-around effort.”
USF will be back at the USF Softball Complex on Wednesday as they host Stetson in a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
