Like USF Softball on Facebook

Follow @USFSoftball on Twitter

TAMPA, MARCH 22, 2014 – The Bulls had to withstand a furious seventh-inning rally but held on for their second win of the day against Connecticut at the USF Softball Stadium.

No. 25 USF (28-8, 2-0) took a 7-1 lead into the final inning before the Huskies (5-19, 0-2) put up a five spot after a two-run single by Emily O'Donnell and a three-run homer by Audrey Grinnell. Sara Nevins (Pinellas Park) was able to get a groundout and a strikeout to end the game after giving up the home run as the Bulls improved to 2-0 in conference play.

“Overall I thought we did a pretty good job,” assistant coach Monica Triner said. “We put a lot of runs on the board early in the game just in case we have hiccups like that.”

Monica Santos (Tampa) and Karla Claudio (Puerto Rico) paced the Bulls offensively with a pair of two-run homers. Claudio's blast in the sixth was the first of her career at USF after transferring from Sante Fe State College at the beginning of the year.

Erica Nunn (Apex, N.C.) posted another solid performance in the circle, pitching 5 2/3 innings, allowing only one run on three hits while striking out seven.

Santos' second homer of the year got the scoring started, putting the Bulls up 2-0 in the second inning. Veronica Gajownik (Winter Park) scored on the play after she singled to center earlier in the inning. She went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI for the game.

Connecticut scored its first run of the game and cut the lead in half in the third on an RBI single up the middle by Alyson Ambler.

USF fired right back in the bottom half of the third when Claudio scored from second on an infield single by Ta'coia Williams (West Palm Beach) to make it 3-1.

Back-to-back errors by the Huskies in the fourth allowed USF to score another run and make it 4-1 heading into the fifth inning.

A three-run sixth would turn out to be crucial for the Bulls. Juli Weber (Hegins, Pa.) singled to reach base before Claudio's two-run jack made it 6-1. A double by Stephanie Medina (Tampa), a walk by Williams and a single by Lee Ann Spivey (Palm Coast) kept the inning going for Gajownik, who drew a bases-loaded walk to give USF a six-cushion heading into the final frame.

After relieving Nunn in the sixth, Sam Greiner (Sparta, N.J.) was replaced by Nevins with no outs in the seventh after hitting the first two batters of the inning. After a Nevins' strikeout, the Huskies posted back-to-back singles to cut the lead to four. One batter later, Grinnell homered to left field to cut the lead to one before Nevins retired the final two batters to preserve the win.

“That last inning we hung a few pitches and that's what happens. Good hitters are going to make good adjustments and they did,” Triner said.

The Bulls complete their weekend series with the Huskies on Sunday at 11 a.m. at the USF Softball Stadium.

Purchase tickets HERE.