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ORLANDO, May 7, 2015 – The Bulls grabbed an early lead and never looked back in a 5-0 win over No. 4-seed East Carolina (16-37) in the American Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday at the UCF Softball Complex in Orlando.
Sam Greiner gave the fifth-seeded Bulls (36-19) another great start in the circle, surrendering only five hits in 4.1 shutout innings to earn her ninth win of the season and help USF advance to the semifinals against No. 1-seed UCF on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
“I think my mental game is working for me. I'm not trying to do too much. I'm just throwing and trusting myself and trusting my defense behind me and my team to get the runs that we need to win,” Greiner said.
Head coach Ken Eriksen echoed those same thoughts about his senior pitcher.
“The light has gone on with Sammy. She's not trying to do too much and she gives us a great opportunity [to win],” Eriksen said.
Juli Weber, Monica Santos and Astin Donovan all had two-hit games and all but one starter had a hit for the Bulls in the game. Weber extended her hit streak to six straight games with a single in the first inning.
USF opened the scoring in the top of the second thanks to a bases-loaded walk by Karla Claudio. Santos and Lauren Evans led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and Donovan loaded the bases for Claudio with a two-out bunt single. It was the 19th RBI of the year for Claudio, who was named a unanimous first-team all-conference selection after finishing tied for first in The American with 16 RBIs during league play.
Lee Ann Spivey and Veronica Gajownik teamed up to give the Bulls another run in the sixth inning. Spivey, a first-team all-conference selection, started off the inning with a single through the left side and stole second one batter later. With two outs, Gajownik came up big with an RBI double to the gap in left-center field to give USF a two-run lead.
USF busted the game open in the top of the seventh, scoring three runs to take a commanding 5-0 lead, thanks to a clutch two-out hit by Santos.
Donovan led off the frame with a bunt single before D'Anna Devine reached on an error and Weber singled up the middle to load the bases. Santos picked up her second hit of the game with a single to center field that allowed two runs to score. Weber also came around to score on the play after a throwing error by the Pirates' center fielder to put the Bulls up by five runs.
Claudio struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to secure the victory and send the Bulls to tomorrow's semifinal. The senior from San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico had five strikeouts in 2.1 scoreless innings of relief.
USF dropped two of three games in the regular-season series against UCF last weekend but also handed the 15th-ranked Knights only their second conference loss of the season.
“Any time that you can get that W in a crucial situation against a team I think gives you that much more confidence. Now the trophy is on the line so we'll see how the players respond,” Eriksen said.
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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