CLEARWATER, Fla., March 9, 2019 – USF came back against No. 17/16 Indiana for a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning, but ultimately fell 3-2, before run-ruling St. John's 12-2 in five innings.
Indiana 3, USF 2
Indiana's (21-2) leadoff runner opened the game with a walk, stole second and scored on a single before the end of the inning. In the third inning, senior
Lindsey Devitt (Jacksonville, Fla.) led off with a home run over the left field fence to tie up the game. The Bulls took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when freshman
Tayli Filla hit her fourth double of the season and scored as junior
Brooke Hartman (Port Orange, Fla.) singled to left field.
The Hoosiers put up two runs to take the lead in sixth inning and not trail again. Indiana hit two singles and runners advanced a base on a groundout. A single to left field scored both runners.
Senior
Nicole Doyle pitched 5.1 innings and faced 21 batters in the loss.
USF 12, SJU 2
Devitt started USF's (17-10) scoring with a bang when she hit a leadoff homerun on a full count for her second homerun of the day. The Bull's big first inning saw two singles, two doubles and a fielder's choice that scored four leaving just one on base for a 4-0 lead over St. John's early (8-11).
USF tacked on another three runs in the third inning to go up 7-0. Hartman singled in her 2-for-3 outing against the Red Storm, Leistl followed suit, and junior
Riley Gore (West Palm Beach, Fla.) entered to pinch hit and sent a three-run blast over the wall for her second homer of the season.
The Bulls added to their momentum and sealed the run-rule victory with five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. USF loaded the bases on balls and a pair of RBI singles through the left side by freshman
Dezarae Maldonado (Winter Haven, Fla) and junior Hartman scored two. A sacrifice fly by redshirt sophomore
Brooke Leistl (Valrico, Fla.) sent another run across the plate, and Gore batted in two more runs with a single to right field for five total RBI against the Red Storm.
Seniors
Cheyenne Eggens and Doyle kept St. John's to just two runs, one off a single and one off a double to right field. The pair combined for five innings and four strikeouts in the win with just one walk.
Key Stat
7 – USF has won seven out of its last 8 games
Notable
- Four Bulls had multi-hit games in today's doubleheader
- Bruni went 12-for-19 with eight runs this week
- Doyle has recorded three wins this week and held opponents to a .210 batting average
- USF averaged .367 at the plate in six games this week
Up Next
USF will welcome Colgate for a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at USF Softball Stadium.
About USF Softball
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.
– #GoBulls –