Bulls lose in AAC semifinals, continue to NCAA Tournament

The USF softball team was unable to move past Louisville in the AAC Tournament on Friday as they were beaten by a score of 8-0 in Houston.

The loss against the Cardinals on Friday was nothing new to the Bulls, as they have lost all four times the two teams were matched up this season.

Sara Nevins (27-8) helped lead the Bulls in their first and only victory of the tournament in a 5-3 win over Memphis, but she struggled mightily against the Cardinals. The senior pitcher surrendered five runs in less than two innings and when she left the game, the Bulls were losing 5-0.

The majority of the damage done by the Cardinals came on one swing by Katie Keller. The senior second baseman hit a grand slam in the second inning, giving Louisville more runs than they would end up needing. Even without the grand slam, Nevins was still ineffective with her pitches.

Nevins had 58 pitches including three walks in the 1 2/3 innings she pitched. In comparison, she threw 88 pitches and issued no walks in 5 1/3 innings in the victory against Memphis.

The Bulls struggled at the plate as well on Friday, as freshman Juli Weber was the only batter to record multiple hits. Aside from Weber, only three batters were able to get a hit.

Despite the loss, it was announced Sunday night that the Bulls have been selected to play in the NCAA Tournament. They will begin tournament play by squaring off against South Carolina in Tallahassee on Friday at 4:30 p.m.