|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
R
|
H
|
E
|
|
ISU
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
6
|
2
|
|
USF
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
4
|
2
|
|
Pitching
|
IP
|
H
|
R
|
ER
|
BB
|
SO
|
|
L- Birch
|
9.2
|
4
|
4
|
0
|
2
|
7
|
|
W- Catalano
|
1.2
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
Hitting Leaders
|
AB
|
R
|
H
|
RBI
|
BB
|
SO
|
|
ISU - Nelson
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4
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0
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2
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1
|
0
|
0
|
|
USF - Richardson
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1 |
|
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CLEARWATER, Fla. - It was only the first game of the season, but the University of South Florida softball team is already getting in some extra work out on the field.
"I saw really good things today," said head coach Ken Eriksen. "We are excited tonight about having (Capri) Catalano back."
After a scoreless seven innings, USF tied it up twice against Illinois State in extra innings before a pair of bad plays by the Redbirds eventually gave the Bulls a 4-3 win in 10 innings in the season opener for both teams in the Wilson-DeMarini Tournament at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the top of the 10th, ISU pushed home a run when pinch runner Emma Clark scored on a fielding error by USF senior shortstop Tara Toscano. Jhavon Hamilton was gunned down at third on the same play to end the threat, but the Bulls, for the third time in extra frames, would be forced to get a run across the plate in the bottom of the inning.
USF did exactly that, but not without some drama in the bottom of the 10th that nearly gave the Bulls a loss to start off the season.
With sophomore pinch runner Gina Kafalas beginning the inning on second base, senior catcher Cat Olnick popped up her bunt attempt for the first out before senior right fielder Lauren Rodriguez laid down a sacrifice bunt to get Kafalas to third.
Sophomore Alexis Nowell then drove a pitch to right-center field that right fielder Lauren Keller caught for a split second before center fielder Beth Current ran into her to knock the ball loose, scoring Kafalas. Nowell took third on the play, then scored on a wild pitch with junior Kelly McCarver at bat to give USF the come-from-behind win.
Sophomore Capri Catalano took home the win after sitting out all of 2009 with a medical red shirt, pitching 1.2 innings with one unearned run allowed. Jordan Birch pitched all 9.2 innings for the Redbirds, giving up four hits and four runs - all unearned - with seven strikeouts.
Neither team was able to get on the scoreboard before Illinois State's Kara Nelson sent a ball out to center field in the top of the 8th to score Nichelle Harrison on the sac fly.
The Bulls countered with a sacrifice fly of their own when sophomore Janine Richardson lofted a ball to center field. Rodriguez crossed the plate just before Nowell was thrown out trying to advance to third, forcing the game into the ninth inning.
At that point, Kay doubled to left center as short stop Niki Stansell came home from third to make it 3-2 Illinois State. Catalano came in for pitcher senior Kristen Gordon and got the last two outs.
Richardson then scored in the bottom of the ninth on a sac fly by senior third baseman Alison Savarese to force the deciding 10th inning.
Gordon pitched 4.1 innings, giving up four hits and two unearned runs with one strikeout. Sophomore Brittany Bowles got the start for the Bulls, pitching the first four innings while allowing just two hits with three strikeouts. All seven of the game's runs were unearned.
Freshman Stormi Grzybek went 2-of-4 in her collegiate debut, while Richardson posted a 1-for-3 day with a run scored and an RBI. Nelson had two of Illinois State's six hits on the day.
"The collegiate game is a lot faster than high school," said Grzybek. "Between my teammates and my coaches, they have really prepared me for this and I just went up hacking."
USF got out of an early jam in opening inning when Nelson tripled down the first base line for Illinois State. Bowles got Kay to fly out to end the threat with runners on first and third. Bowles found herself in trouble again in the second inning, but with Beth Current at third, Bowles blew one past Carly Billings to again end the threat.
USF's best chance came in the third, when back-to-back singles by McCarver and Richardson put two on with one out. McCarver, though, was thrown out at third on a fielder's choice and Medina popped out to third base to end the inning.
Illinois State responded two innings later when pinch hitter Shelby Music singled down the left field line for the Redbirds with Jessica Roche at second. Roche, though, got caught between third and home on a play that took six players with the ball before Roche could get tagged out. The Bulls then caught Music trying to get to third on the same play to end the inning.
