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TAMPA, MARCH 16, 2015 – D'Anna Devine's two clutch hits helped lead the Bulls to a hard-fought 3-2 win over Central Connecticut State on Monday evening at the USF Softball Stadium.
Devine singled home Kenya Yancy with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to give USF (26-8) a late lead they wouldn't relinquish. The senior from Morrisville, Pa., went 2-for-3 with two RBIs on the night as the Bulls earned their 18th win in their last 19 games.
“D'Anna is under control and doing fine. She has a passion for winning and it's paying off right now,” head coach Ken Eriksen said.
CCSU (9-3) opened the scoring in the top of the second when Brittany Ernst scored on a passed ball to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead.
USF answered right back with a run of its own in the bottom of the second, when Lee Ann Spivey led off the inning with a solo home run to center field. It was the junior's team-leading seventh homer this season.
The Bulls took a 2-1 lead thanks to Devine's first RBI single of the game to score Cassidy Boyle with two outs in the third. The lead was short-lived, however, as Tori Constantin tied the game at two in the fourth with a single that barely snuck past the glove of a diving Kristen Wyckoff.
USF finally seized advantage of the game for good in the bottom of the fifth on Devine's clutch hit. Boyle and Mia Fung led off the inning with back-to-back singles before the Blue Devils turned a double play. That brought Devine to the plate with a runner on third and two outs and she delivered the game's biggest hit with a single to left field to put the Bulls up 3-2.
“Get the barrel to the ball. That's what he (coach Eriksen) has been telling me this whole time,” Devine said in regards to her approach at the plate.
Eriksen was impressed by his team's approach at the plate against a very good pitcher in CCSU's Laura Messina.
“She got them to the regionals a couple of years ago at LSU and did really well. She's a quality pitcher, so against her you can't do too much. If you start moving too many body parts around you're going to get the barrel off plane.”
Karla Claudio shut the door for the final two innings and struck out six batters for the game to earn the win and improve to 7-2 this season.
“That is a quality win,” Eriksen said. “That's an RPI win against a team that's going to be in the top 80 if not top 70 RPI in the country.”
The Bulls host Hartford and Canisius in a doubleheader tomorrow evening starting at 5 p.m. before jumping into American Athletic Conference play this weekend when they travel to Texas to take on Houston. Purchase tickets HERE.
Be sure to follow USF softball on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. The USF softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 12 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women's College World Series in 2012. The Bulls made their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament last season and posted their 14th season with 40 plus wins under head coach Ken Eriksen.
- #GoBulls –
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