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TAMPA, April 26, 2015 – The Bulls got a stellar pitching performance from senior Sam Greiner but were unable to solve Memphis' ace Jordan Richwood and fell to the Tigers, 2-0, on Senior Day at the USF Softball Stadium.
Greiner pitched 5.2 innings of shutout ball and scattered five hits in her final start at home before leaving to a well-deserved ovation from the fans in the top of the sixth inning.
“You take a look at Sam Greiner today and what she did, holy smokes. She gave us the pitching that we've needed all year long to be competitive and keep them at zero for a long, long time,” head coach Ken Eriksen said.
Unfortunately, the Bulls (34-17, 5-8 The American) just couldn't get the bats going as they were held to a season-low three hits by Richwood, who picked up her second victory of the weekend.
USF struggled to get runners on base all afternoon and Eriksen was disappointed that the team was unable to take advantage of Greiner's excellent outing.
“You get a pitching performance like that, you've got to really want to step up and play for your pitcher.”
After five innings of scoreless ball, USF nearly opened the scoring in the bottom of the sixth when Juli Weber singled through the right side, but D'Anna Devine was thrown out at home trying to score from second base to end the inning. Devine led the Bulls offensively with a hit, a walk and two stolen bases for the game.
Memphis (16-31, 4-11 The American) finally broke through in the seventh inning as Brittany Vaughn lined a two-out single into center field with the bases loaded to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead and the series victory.
USF's six seniors: Meagan Leddy, Allie Patierno, Veronica Gajownik, Karla Claudio, Devine and Greiner were all honored in a Senior Day ceremony before the game.
Greiner spoke about her four years at USF after the game and expressed that it was everything she could have asked for and more.
“I think I can look back on my four years here and know that I experienced what I wanted to experience when I thought about playing college softball,” Greiner said.
The Bulls wrap up the regular season next weekend with a road trip to Orlando to take on in-state rival and conference leader No. 13/15 UCF on Saturday and Sunday.
Check out photos from today's game 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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