OPINION: USF softball takes best of the week, while baseball slumps
The past week highlighted triumphs for softball and lacrosse, while baseball faced the lows.
Softball took the victory this past week, with an undefeated weekend against Tulsa.
Whereas baseball faced the lows of the weekend, failing to secure the majority of wins in the conference series against Rice.
Here are the best and worst of the Bulls’ from last week.
Best of the week
USF Softball celebrates triumph against Tulsa after the Bulls’ series victory against Tulsa. USF ORACLE/KEATON DUKE
Softball kept three straight wins against Tulsa over the weekend, securing their second conference sweep this season.
The Bulls kicked off the weekend with a strong victory of 6-1 on Friday.
Related: USF softball sweeps Tulsa, inches closer to NCAA tournament
Sophomore Alex Wilkes led Friday’s game going 2-for-4 at the plate.
Sunday also marked the second time softball allowed one walk or fewer in four consecutive games.
While softball secured three straight wins throughout the weekend, women’s lacrosse has also been no disappointment for the Bulls.
Lacrosse has seen success in its first season, ranking second in the AAC standings.
They earned a top-four seed in the American Athletic Conference, defeating Old Dominion on Saturday with a victory of 15-10.
Sophomore Sofia Chepenik led the Bulls with four goals in the game and overall leads the AAC with 46 goals.
Lacrosse earned themselves a spot in the AAC Tournament in its season debut.
They have kept a streak of over 11 goals in each game this season.
Worst of the week
Junior Outfielder Ryan Pruitt batting in Tuesday’s match against Stetson in 3-1 loss. USF ORACLE/CAMILLE GRALL
For other programs, they fail to keep a consistent win streak.
While baseball managed to secure a victory against Rice 14-3 on Friday, they couldn’t keep up the heat.
They faced defeats for the remainder of the weekend.
Related: USF baseball stumbling after hot streak, falls to Stetson
Baseball faced three tough losses out of the four games played last week.
On April 8, USF baseball fell to Stetson 3-1.
The Bulls lost when Stetson ran a solo home run on the game’s second pitch. Redshirt freshman Matt Goldenbaum led with four strikeouts.
Then on Saturday, the Bulls’ didn’t score their first run until the fifth inning.
Sunday also brought a similar slow starting game, not scoring until their third inning.
Junior Lance Trippel and senior Marcus Brodil hit back-to-back singles, giving South Florida the opportunity for a tie, yet Rice earned the outs needed for a win.
The Bulls ultimately fell 5-2 on Sunday.
While baseball fell behind in the past week, they still currently rank second in the AAC standings.
It’s up to the Bulls’ to continue pushing to secure their spot in the AAC rankings.
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