TAMPA, April 18, 2015 – The Bulls split Saturday's doubleheader with East Carolina thanks to some more late-game heroics at the USF Softball Stadium.
Lee Ann Spivey hit a walk-off single in Game 1 to complete USF's seventh-inning comeback and give the Bulls a 3-2 win over the Pirates (12-35, 4-10 The American).
USF (33-14, 4-5 The American) struggled in Game 2, falling 10-1 in five innings, setting up tomorrow's rubber game.
GAME 1: USF 3, East Carolina 2
Lee Ann Spivey capped off a seventh-inning rally with a walk-off single to propel the Bulls to a 3-2 win over East Carolina in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader.
Spivey went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs in the game, including her first-career inside-the-park home run to tie the game at one in the fourth inning.
The Pirates opened the scoring after an error allowed Mary Sloan Bradford to score in the top of the third inning.
The Bulls tied the game and broke up Ashley Cruise's no-hitter with one swing in the fourth thanks to Spivey's inside-the-park home run. It was Spivey's team-leading 10th homer of the season and 24th of her career, tying her for fifth with Christie Chapman on the USF all-time list.
ECU retook the lead with a solo home run by Casey Alcorn in the top of the sixth inning that made it 2-1. USF nearly tied the game again in the bottom of the sixth, but Kenya Yancy was thrown out at home trying to score on a single by Lauren Evans.
Still trailing by one and down to their final two outs, the Bulls came up clutch again, rallying for their third come-from-behind win in conference play this season. Three consecutive Pirate errors loaded the bases with one out for Juli Weber, who drew a four-pitch walk to tie the game at two. After a fielder's choice, Spivey came up big again with a two-out walk-off single to give the Bulls a 3-2 win in Game 1 of the series.
Karla Claudio pitched the final two innings and had four strikeouts to earn her eighth win of the season.
GAME 2: East Carolina 10, USF 1 (5 Inn.)
The Bulls fell behind early and were never able to find their groove, dropping Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader, 10-1.
Mary Sloan Bradford led off the game with a home run as East Carolina wasted no time jumping out to an early 1-0 lead.
The Bulls responded quickly with a run of their own in the bottom half of the first. Kristen Wyckoff singled to lead off the inning and extend her hitting streak to 10 games before coming around to score on a throwing error by the Pirates' third baseman to tie the game at one.
Another leadoff home run in the second inning put the Pirates back on top for good as Casey Alcorn hit her second solo shot of the day. Andie Johnson singled home Ciara Ervin later in the inning to make it 3-1 Pirates.
USF had the leadoff batter reach base in every inning but was unable to find a way to cut into the Pirates' lead, leaving seven runners on base for the game.
ECU blew the game open with seven runs in the top of the fifth inning as the Bulls' pitchers had trouble finding the strike zone. USF hit three batters and walked in two runs to aid the Pirates' big inning.
Susan Wysocki was stuck with the loss as the Bulls dropped to 4-5 in American Athletic Conference play. Sunday's rubber game is slated for a 1 p.m. start as the Bulls look to bounce back and win their second conference series this season.
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.
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