GAME 2:

TAMPA- The University of South Florida softball team got a gritty pitching performance from Lindsey Richardson to shutout Arkansas on Friday night.

Richardson pitched 6.0 innings of shutout ball, collecting six strikeouts while walking just one, and stranding eight Razorbacks on base to earn her fourth win of the year.

Freshman Sara Nevins came on in relief in the seventh inning to close out the Bulls third-straight win.

Janine Richardson came through again offensively for the Bulls as she picked up her fourth multi-hit game of the season by going 2-3 from the plate with a run scored.

Erin Bly accounted for all of the USF run production in the game with a fourth inning two-RBI single. Bly finished the day 1-2 with the single and a walk.

It was a pitchers' duel early on, as both teams were able to keep each other off the scoreboard through the first three innings, despite both teams getting runners on frequently early on. 

Arkansas stranded five runners through the first four innings, while USF stranded three before they were finally able to break through in the bottom of the fourth.

Ashli Goff got things started with a bunt single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Salvarola. Janine Richardson then legged out a single to short advancing Goff to third, and a walk by Medina loaded the bases for Bly. Bly ripped an 0-2 pitch to left-center to score Goff and Richardson giving USF the 2-0 lead.

In the top of the sixth, Arkansas go the leadoff runner on second after an error by Medina, by Lindsey Richardson was able to pitch her way out of the jam to strand another Razorback on base, their eighth of the night.

Nevins came on in the seventh and did not allow a baserunner as the Bulls beat the Razorbacks to finish the opening day of the USF Under Armour Invitational with a pair of wins.

USF will square off against Loyola Marymount and East Tennessee State in Clearwater on Saturday before wrapping up the Invitational on Sunday against No. 5 Michigan.

GAME 1:

TAMPA –  The University of South Florida softball team got another offensive explosion on Friday afternoon to knock off Ball State 8-2 in the team's opening game of the USF Under Armour Invitational.

The USF bats combined for eight runs on 13 hits, their second consecutive game with over 13 hits as a team.

Gina Kafalas once again set the stage offensively for USF as she finished the day 2-4, her eighth multi-hit game of the year, with two runs scored from her leadoff position.

Freshman Stephanie Medina, fresh off her BIG EAST Player of the Week honors, collected her fourth multi-hit game in the past seven games by going 2-3 from the plate with one RBI and two runs scored.

Janine Richardson continued to come through in the clutch as she drove in a pair of runs in a 1-4 day in the winning effort.

USF didn't need much run support with freshman Sara Nevins in the circle as the rookie went the complete 7.0 innings while allowing just two runs, one earned on four hits with 10 strikeouts and just two walks.

Nevins has pitched at least 5.0 innings while allowing less than three earned runs in each of her six starts on the season.

Ball State got the scoring started in the top half of the first after a walk by and stolen base by Alicia Barkley gave the Cardinals a runner in scoring position, and she eventually came around to score on a single to left by Jenny Gilbert.

Ashli Goff reached in the Bulls' half of the first, but could not score as she was stranded at second to leave USF scoreless through one, but the Bulls would not have to wait long to get on the scoreboard. 

After a scoreless top of the second, USF exploded for five runs six hits to bust the game open. Stephanie Medina and Erin Bly opened the inning with a pair of singles. A single by Kelly McCarver loaded the bases, and an passed ball allowed Medina and Bly to score giving USF the 2-1 lead. Alexis Nowell then flew out to left to score McCarver from third put USF up 3-1. A double by Kafalas and a single by Goff set the stage for arguably the Bulls' hottest hitter in Janine Richardson. Richardson came through once again with a two-RBI single.

Nevins settled into a groove after allowing the first-inning run, and shut the Cardinals down through the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Bulls gave Nevins two more insurance runs courtesy of an RBI double by Medina and a pair of illegal pitches by Ball State which brought Medina in from second base, giving USF the 7-1 lead after five.

The Bulls added another in the fifth on an RBI double by Salvarola to make it 8-1, but Ball State answered in the sixth by adding a run on an RBI single on a scorching line drive by Gilbert to cut the USF lead to 8-2, but it would not be enough as USF closed out the game to earn the win.

The Bulls get right back to work against Arkansas at 5 p.m. in game two of the USF Under Armour Invitational.