TAMPA – The University of South Florida softball team dropped the first game of a doubleheader against Drake, 4-3, Tuesday at the USF Softball Stadium.
Drake scored all four runs in the third innings on five consecutive walks and two base hits.
The Bulls outhit the Bulldogs 9-8. Sophomore Gina Kafalas extended her hit streak to 10 games with a single down the left field line in the seventh inning. Drakes' Carrie Hatfield led all players with a 3-for-4 night.
Kafalas was nailed in the elbow on the first pitch in the bottom of the first. Senior JoJo Medina singled to center, moving Kafalas to second. Alison Savarese walked to load bases with one out. Senior Cat Olnick popped into a double play, ending the bases loaded threat.
Drake loaded the bases the next inning, but great defensive work by the Bulls held the Bulldogs to no runs. Savarese fliped a ball hit in front of her to Olnick at home with bases loaded to get the second out of the inning coming up with Drake's most powerful hitter. Janine Richardson planted under a ball sent by Elena Leon to deep center to record the third inning out keeping the game scoreless.
Drakes' patience at the plate was all they needed to score all its runs in the third. Bowles started the inning walking two Bulldog batters. Sophomore Candace Howell entered the game but walked three more Drake batters, which brought home two runs. Bowles re-entered but Drake hit two singles through the ride side to score two runs taking a 4-0 lead.
Howell doubled to right center to start the fifth in an attempt to cut the Drake lead. With Howell on third with one out, the Bulls were unable to bring across their first run.
In the sixth, USF scored its first run on back-to-back hits from Richardson and Stormi Grzybek. Richardson doubled to right center for her third double of the season. Grzybek then lined a shot that hit the left field chalk line that score Richardson and cut the Drake lead to 4-1.
With one last chance, USF fell short scoring two runs and falling 4-3. Kafalas singled down the left line and Tara Toscano singled the next pitch through the left side. Medina's grounder to third advanced both runners to the next base. RBI leader, Savarese, singled up the middle, cutting the Bulldog lead to 4-3 but the Bulls were unable to push any more runs across.
