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By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TALLAHASSEE, MAY 17, 2014 – Freshman Kristen Wyckoff's biggest hit as a Bull helped USF rally past South Carolina, 3-2, Saturday night in an elimination game at the Tallahassee Regional.

USF kept its third consecutive NCAA tournament run going with a two-run seventh inning that was capped off by Wyckoff's walk-off single to center field.

“Skinny over here did a phenomenal job of staying calm, cool and collected and put the barrel on the ball,” head coach Ken Eriksen said.

The Bulls (43-16) advanced to Sunday's championship round, where they'll face No. 3 FSU at noon at Seminole Softball Complex (TV: ESPN2).  USF started Saturday's action with a 2-0, 11-inning loss to the Seminoles and the Bulls will have to win twice Sunday to advance to the program's second Super Regional in three years.

USF defeated South Carolina, 6-0, Friday night and a second straight win over the Gamecocks required a gutsy effort in the final at-bat. Courtney Goff (Tampa) started the rally with a single up the middle and a sacrifice bunt by Veronica Gajownik (Winter Park, Fla.) moved the senior over to second.

That set the table for pinch hitter Lee Ann Spivey, who tied the game up at two with a single down the left field line and advanced to second on the throw. The sophomore from Palm Coast, Fla., set the tone for USF's first win over South Carolina with a solo home run and made the most of her time watching Gamecocks starter Julie Sarratt work Saturday night.

“The whole time I was on the bench I kept thinking, 'I have to be ready in case it's my shot up at the plate,'” Spivey said. “I was watching the pitcher, asking my teammates constantly in the dugout, 'Hey, what's she throwing you? What should I do if I do go in the game?... I walked up to the plate and I knew my one job was to get a base hit.”

Monica Santos, who took practice swings with Spivey all game, entered as a pinch hitter and drew a walk, and Wyckoff sent Spivey home for the winning run by ripping a 1-2 pitch up the middle.  

Wyckoff grabbed the USF coaching staff's attention while becoming a three-time all-county selection at Plant City (Fla.) High School and she became a household name for Bulls' fans by making adjustments at the plate in a high-pressure situation.

“Since I popped up my first two at-bats, I was really trying to stay on top of the ball and get it on the ground. Throughout the game I was just really fast on my feet and I was really trying to slow down like coach kept telling me,” Wyckoff said. “When I kept fouling off pitches and felt like I was still going fast with my feet and was dropping the bat head just a little bit. Finally I got another up pitch, but I just kept my hands up and slowed down, and it just so happened to work out for me.”

Ashlyn Masters gave South Carolina a 1-0 lead with a solo homer over the center field wall in the third inning. USF came right back with a run in the bottom half of the frame thanks to an RBI single by senior Ashli Goff, an NFCA Mideast All-Region First-Team selection from Tampa.

The Gamecocks (35-22) grabbed a 2-1 lead in the fourth with a solo homer by Sarah Mooney, but that was all USF pitchers gave up the rest of the way. Starter Erica Nunn (Apex, N.C.) struck out three while keeping the game close through the first four innings and senior Sara Nevins (Pinellas Park, Fla.) scattered three hits a game after pitching 11 innings against FSU.

Eriksen said he plans to enjoy the win for a while before deciding which pitcher to send to the circle Sunday against the Seminoles.

“We just had a walk-off win in an NCAA Regional to play for the championship tomorrow and God it's exciting,” Eriksen said.