By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA - The Bulls added another school record to their remarkable season of feats Wednesday afternoon at home.

The No. 16/18 USF softball team finished off a doubleheader sweep of Providence with a 5-0 victory in Game 2 that extended the team's winning streak to 18 games, a new record for the program.

"We like the whole victory thing and we work pretty hard in practice. When we come out here and do exactly what we're supposed to do it feels good," said Kenshyra Jackson, who went 2-for-2 with an RBI.

The Bulls (38-5, 11-0) are off to their best-ever start to a year and have now tied the program's best beginning to a Big East season after getting seven innings of four-hit ball from freshman Sam Greiner, who allowed only four hits before improving to 9-3.

Greiner's performance came a game after ace Sara Nevins allowed two hits in six innings and Lindsey Richardson returned to action and pitched a perfect seventh in USF's other 5-0 win over the Friars (13-23, 4-6). The USF staff has combined to pitch 20 shutouts this season.

"I saw some pretty consistent pitching," head coach Ken Eriksen said. "Our pitchers got out of some crucial situations early when the games were tight and they made some really crucial pitches. They moved the ball around. They set hitters up and made some big pitches in some big out situations for us."

The USF offense helped out in Game 2 by heating up early at the plate.

The Bulls managed just two hits in Game 1 and they needed only one inning to match the total in part II of the doubleheader. Gina Kafalas led off the bottom of the first with a bunt single and Jackson gave the Bulls a 1-0 lead three batters later when she singled to center field.

The Bulls were back at it on the base paths in the fourth when they plated two more runs. Stephanie Medina, Janine Richardson and Kourtney Salvarola all singled to load the bases and Jessica Mouse made it 2-0 with another single up the middle. Richardson tagged up at third and made it 3-0 on a sacrifice fly by Laura Fountain to cap off the scoring in the inning.

Richardson got back to third base with one swing of the bat in the fifth with a two-out RBI triple a batter after Jackson collected her second hit of the game. Salvarola added to USF's two-out rally with a single up the middle that gave Greiner a five-run cushion.

"Just because it's two outs doesn't mean it's over," Jackson said. "We work just as hard as if there are no outs and if there is somebody is on base we work even harder."

USF came into the game with a 27-0 record when leading after five innings this season and Greiner did her part to extend the perfect feat. The Sparta, N.J. native worked a 1-2-3 sixth and threw another perfect inning in the seventh when she struck out two batters.

Now things get much tougher for the Bulls, who get back on the road for a three-game series at Connecticut that begins with a doubleheader slated for a noon start on Saturday.

"We've played 43 games and the easiest part of our schedule is over right now," Eriksen said. "UConn is playing very, very well. They've got good pitching and they've got good hitting."