TAMPA- Behind a three-run first inning, the University of South Florida softball team knocked off Syracuse 3-1 behind a stellar pitching effort from Lindsey Richardson.

Richardson pitched 5.0 innings in the win, and allowed just one run on three hits while striking out six and walking none to improve to 7-5 on the season.

The win improved USF to 20-15 on the season and 2-0 in league play while handing the Orange just their sixth loss of the season snapping a six game winning streak. The loss was also the first in conference play for Syracuse who swept Rutgers to open BIG EAST play with a 3-0 mark.

Freshman Stephanie Medina was 1-2 at the plate in the winning driving in the eventual game-winning on a two-RBI single in the first inning.

Fellow freshman Ashli Goff also collected a pair of hits going 2-3 from the plate with a run scored, her seventh multi-hit game of the season.

Successful first innings have been crucial to Bulls success this season, going 11-2 when leading after the first and 12-4 when scoring in the first.  The Bulls have scored 40 runs in all first-innings this season, the most of any inning.

The Bulls got it going early on in the first as Ashli Goff singled with one out in the opening frame and advanced to third as Kourtney Salvarola reached on a throwing error. Janine Richardson laid down the suicide squeeze and Goff beat the throw at the plate to give the Bulls the first run of the game.

USF would not stop there.

The Bulls added another pair on a single up the middle by freshman Stephanie Medina to score Salvarola and Richardson and giving USF the early 3-0 advantage.

A third-inning homer by Orangeman Stephanie Watts cut the Bulls' lead to two but Richardson was able to work her way out of the inning, limiting the damage to just one.

Both teams went scoreless through the fourth and fifth innings before Sara Nevins came in to relieve Richardson in the circle.