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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TALLAHASSEE, MAY 16, 2014 – USF started its third consecutive NCAA tournament run in stride with a 6-0 victory over South Carolina in the first game of the Tallahassee Regional on Friday.
USF (42-15) will face No. 8 overall seed Florida State on Saturday at noon back at Seminole Softball Complex after the Noles defeated Fordham, 6-1, in the second game of the day. Fans can watch the action live on ESPN.
“It's important to win the first one because it gives you the chance to win one more game and get to Sunday,” said head coach Ken Eriksen of the regional that features a double-elimination format. “It's very important that we stayed focused and really became one-pitch worrying team today.”
Senior Sara Nevins (28-8) became the first pitcher in USF history and ninth active player in the nation to record 100 victories after allowing two hits in 5.2 innings. The left-hander from Pinellas Park, Fla., struck out eight batters to bring her program record total up to 1,085.
“I just kept making sure I hit my spots as much as I could and just go straight at them instead of working around them,” Nevins said.
The Bulls gave Nevins and reliever Erica Nunn plenty of support while racking up 11 hits in the first game of the program's 12th NCAA tournament appearance overall. Lee Ann Spivey set the tone with a solo homer in a two-run second inning and Ta'coia Williams drove in two of USF's three runs in the fifth inning. Stephanie Medina, Ashli Goff and Kristen Wyckoff also drove in runs to help the Bulls improve to 26-19 in regional play.
Nevins struck out the side in the first inning and the Bulls' bats spotted her a 2-0 lead in the top of the second.
Spivey led off the frame and drove the first pitch she saw over the wall in left field to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead. The sophomore catcher from Palm Coast, Fla., ranks second on the team with 10 home runs this season after hitting four as a freshman.
“Right before that inning coach actually talked to us about making sure we were attacking the first pitch. I went out there thinking, 'No matter where the pitch is, as long as it's a strike I'm swinging at it,'” Spivey said. “I saw the changeup coming in and I recognized it early, I've been working on it a lot lately, and I just let my hands do what they know how to do.”
Williams drew a walk after Spivey's homer and advanced to second on sacrifice bunt down the first base line by Veronica Gajownik (Winter Park, Fla.). Wyckoff, a freshman from Plant City, Fla., gave the Bulls a 2-0 lead with a two-out single that sent Williams home from second.
Nevins struck out the first two batters she faced in the second and worked her way out of trouble to record the third out of the inning. Kristen Struett singled, Victoria Williams walked and Dana Hathorn was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Nevins struck out her sixth batter of the game.
And while Nevins kept hitters off-balance, USF seized control of the game with a three-run fifth frame, which has boded well for the Bulls in 2014. USF is 30-0 when scoring five or more runs this season.
Wyckoff led off the big inning with a walk, Goff put runners on first and second with a one-out infield single and Kourtney Salvarola was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Medina extended the lead to 3-0 with a single to shallow right field and the Bulls kept the pressure on with two outs. Williams faced a 3-2 count and freshman from West Palm Beach delivered with a two-run single up the middle.
More clutch hitting with two outs led to a 6-0 USF lead in the top of the sixth inning. Gajownik led off with a double and the Bulls had runners on the corners for Goff, who singled through the left side to cap off the scoring. Goff, a senior from Tampa, was one of USF's league-leading six players named to the All-American Athletic Conference Team.
Nevins exited with a runner on first and two outs in the sixth inning and Nunn, a sophomore left-hander from Apex, N.C., struck out four of the six batters she faced to secure the shutout.
“That in itself tells you that our pitchers had some nasty stuff on the ball today,” Eriksen said of the 12-strikeout, three-hit performance. “I thought our pitchers did a great job of keeping South Carolina uncomfortable. We know they can swing the bat, we know they're dangerous and the can score five, six runs any inning, so my hats are off to Sara and Erica.”
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