Box Scores: Game One | Game Two | Louisville Photo Gallery
TAMPA ? The University of South Florida dropped two games to Louisville, 11-0 and 3-2, in the season's last doubleheader at the USF Softball Complex on Saturday afternoon.
With the losses, the Bulls fall to 14-3 in BIG EAST Conference play, and 40-16 overall.
After falling 11-0 in game one, USF regrouped while the pitchers engaged in a pitching duel keeping the game scoreless through four innings.
Louisville got on the board first drawing a walk and a hit by pitch to score three runs in the top of the fifth. Freshman pitcher Capri Catalano retired the last to batters to end the frame with the Cardinals up 3-0.
Senior centerfielder Aya Nakajima led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to third base. Two outs later, junior shortstop Britta Giddens drove a double to left field to score Nakajima.
Catalano shut out the Cardinals in the last two innings to give the Bulls the opportunity to score.
The Bulls began a seventh-inning rally when JoJo Medina loaded the bases with an infield single.
Catcher Cat Olnick then reached first on a fielder's choice as Kit Dunbar picked up the second out at home.
Alison Savarese knocked a single to centerfield that brought Giddens home. Pinch runner Kelly McCarver was called out at home plate to end the game in favor of the Cardinals.
Giddens went 3-for-3, with one run and one RBI. Savarese finished 2-for-4 and one RBI.
Catalano was credited with the loss, the first of her collegiate career. The right-handed pitcher is now 14-1 in the season.
In game one, Louisville jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The Cardinals scored eight unearned runs in the third capitalizing off of three errors and three walks. Relief pitcher Kristen Gordon forced a fly-out to end the inning.
Louisville added two more runs in the fourth to defeat the first place Bulls, 11-0 in five innings.
Despite the two losses, USF remains atop the BIG EAST standings with a .056 win percentage over second place DePaul and Connecticut.
The Bulls will travel north to end the regular season schedule at Providence on Saturday, May 3, and Connecticut on Sunday, May 4.
