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TAMPA, MARCH 4, 2015 – The USF softball team picked up its fourth straight win with a 3-1 victory over Boston College on Wednesday night at the USF Softball Stadium.
The Bulls used a group pitching effort and timely hitting to earn the win and improve to 12-7 on the year.
Veronica Gajownik led the team at the plate with two hits and an RBI while the Bulls used three pitchers to hold the Eagles (12-7) to only one run.
USF had to come from behind as Boston College opened the scoring in the top of the second on a bloop single by Tatiana Cortez that was just out of the reach of second baseman Kristen Wyckoff.
The Bulls wasted little time bouncing back, however, as they tied the game in the bottom half of the inning thanks to an RBI triple by Gajownik (Winter Park, Fla.).
USF kept the pressure on and took the lead after scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Lauren Evans (Land O' Lakes, Fla.) started the inning with a leadoff walk and moved to second on a bloop single by Cassidy Boyle (Buchanan, N.Y.). An error by the Boston College third baseman loaded the bases for Wyckoff (Plant City, Fla.) and she delivered with a sacrifice fly to score Evans, who made a nice slide to avoid the tag at home plate. D'Anna Devine (Morrisville, Pa.) followed that with an infield single to score pinch runner Kenya Yancy (Bradenton, Fla.) and give the Bulls a two-run cushion heading into the final two innings.
All three Bulls' pitchers were solid, giving up only three total hits on the night. Erica Nunn (Apex, N.C.) got the start and only gave up two hits and a run in three innings of work before giving way to Sam Greiner (Sparta, N.J.), who picked up her fifth win of the season. Karla Claudio (San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico) pitched the final 2 2/3 innings without giving up a hit to secure her second save of the year.
“Coach calls me Mariano now,” Claudio said, referring to New York Yankees great Mariano Rivera. “I felt really relaxed. My job is to go out there and stop their offense and give our offense an opportunity to do something.”
The Bulls head into tomorrow night's contest against Wagner on a four-game win streak, but head coach Ken Eriksen still thinks the team has a lot it can improve on.
“If we've got five cylinders I think we're playing on one right now to tell you the truth,” Eriksen said. “Trust me I'm not getting greedy and I'm enjoying the W's, and if we're not playing that great and we're winning, something is going on pretty good with the team.”
USF continues its stretch of seven games in five days Thursday night at 6 p.m. as they host the Seahawks at the USF Softball Stadium. 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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