
Softball victorious against Illinois State on opening day

AnaMarie Bruni is greeted by teammates after scoring USF's first run of the game against Illinois State on Feb. 7. Bruni recorded three steals in the Bulls' 2-1 victory. ORACLE PHOTO/BRIAN HATTAB
Speed, pitching and a timely blast was all USF softball needed as the Bulls opened their 2019 season 2-1 winners against Illinois State at the USF Softball Stadium on Thursday.
USF only recorded five hits in the game, but the Bulls really only needed two of them when all was said and done. A leadoff infield single from AnaMarie Bruni in the bottom of the first inning and a solo homer from redshirt sophomore Bethaney Keen in the second inning was all the offense the Bulls needed.
Bruni turned her first-inning hit into USF’s first run of the season thanks to two stolen bases and an RBI groundout by senior Lindsey Devitt. Bruni also stole second base in the fifth inning, giving the junior a three-steal night on opening day.
“I love to run — I feel like everybody knows that,” Bruni said. “My mentality is kind of just get on base, first thing, because if I’m on base, I know that I have every chance to steal because of my speed. The faster I get to second … I feel like as long as I get to scoring position with less than two — even with two outs, I trust my teammates to get me in … my mentality is just run.”
Illinois State answered back with a homer off the left-field foul pole to tie the game, but Keen struck right back — leading off the bottom of the second with a homer to make it 2-1. Keen’s longball came in her first at-bat of the season after missing all of 2018 with an injury.
“Honestly, it felt good,” Keen said. “I honestly felt really comfortable at the plate. [Illinois State pitcher Shannon Felde] pitched me inside, up, and I kind of just took it. I let my hands go with it, and I wasn’t trying at all. It felt really good.”

ORACLE PHOTO/BRIAN HATTAB
After the first two innings, neither team was able to put together much offense, with USF’s pitchers allowing only two hits the entire night. Senior Nicole Doyle started and recorded the win for USF, allowing one run on two hits and striking out three batters. Fellow classmate Cheyenne Eggens and reining AAC Rookie of the Year Georgina Corrick combined to throw 3.1 no-hit innings to seal the win for the Bulls.
“A lot of guys showed their maturity tonight,” coach Ken Eriksen said. “I thought Cheyenne Eggens did a phenomenal job coming in when she did. And then, even Nicole Doyle — to get the ball in the first game of the year. She was a transfer last year, she was getting that year under her belt — came out and did a nice job for us.
“And then, obviously, if you can bring in [Corrick] to get the last three outs of a game the whole season, that’s not a bad [situation]. She might break Mariano’s (Rivera) record right there — she’s that good,” Eriksen joked.

ORACLE PHOTO/BRIAN HATTAB
USF only has a short time to celebrate, as the win against Illinois State begins a busy weekend of games. The Bulls take on No. 7 Arizona on Friday at 7:15 p.m., No. 19 Michigan on Saturday at 3:15 p.m., North Carolina State on Saturday at 8:15 p.m., No. 5 Florida on Sunday at 4:15 p.m. and Team Japan on Monday at 6 p.m.
“You’ve got to love it,” Keen said. “This is what we worked so hard for to do all fall. We prepare for moments like these. Like I said, you have to love it and take it one game at a time and not play the name game at all. Because we’re literally just as good as anyone out here.
“We believe that and soon you guys are going to believe that too.”
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
More usforacle News Articles
- Baseball takes opening series against Samford
- Softball wins three games in Tuscon
- Men's basketball loses second-straight
- Freshmen shine in comeback win against Tulsa
Recent usforacle News Articles
Discuss This Article
MOST POPULAR USFORACLE

Baseball takes opening series against Samford By Josée Woble, Correspondent

Softball wins three games in Tuscon By Brian Hattab, Assistant Sports Editor

Men's basketball loses second-straight By Steven Gerardy, Correspondent

Freshmen shine in comeback win against Tulsa By Nolan Brown, Correspondent
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
LATEST USFORACLE NEWS
- Men's basketball loses second-straight
- Freshmen shine in comeback win against Tulsa
- Gonzalez sparks Bulls' offense in 7-4 opening night victory
- USF's five-game win streak is snapped by UCF
- We can discuss anti-Semitism and foreign lobbying at the same time
- Give teachers guns but arm them with higher salaries too
- Inclusive and influential: Aisha Durham
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- How Do We Know LASIK Is Safe?
- Building A Medicaid Bipartisan Bridge
- Footballer Jerry Rice Makes Big Play For Kidney Health
- Tips For Easy Snow Removal
- Thirty Years Of Perfect Harmony To Help Kids
- An IRS Incentive To Save For Retirement
- How To Wow The One Who Wows You
- Top Roofing Trends
- Living Better With Chronic Respiratory Diseases
- Prevent CO Poisoning
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- Online Conference Connects Global Startups and Investors
- Corporate Takeover Tale Offers Blueprint for Survival
- Women Say They're Ready to Put Their Money to Work for Them
- This Year, Rethink The Way You Plan a Vacation
- Fall in Love with UPtv's New Uplifting Series: Design Twins
- Pop the Question with the Perfect Song
- Post-Holiday Wake-up Call: Signs Senior Loved Ones May...
- New Year, New Goals: Tools to Get You Where You Want to Go
- How Self-Publishing Made This Author A Best-Seller
- Big Swings in The Market Haven't Dampened People's Optimism
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- Enter the 2019 SVG/NACDA College Sports Media Awards Today!
- Cengage Offers College Students Free Access to Career Resources with Cengage Unlimited Subscription
- ACTA Launches HowCollegesSpendMoney.com
- Nikon Announces The Second Year Of The Nikon Storytellers Scholarship, Reaffirming Its Commitment To Education For The Next Generation of Creators
- New Survey: Demand for Uniquely Human Skills Increases Even as Technology and Automation Replace Some Jobs