USF softball falls short at NCAA Tallahassee Regionals
Through extra innings and a bout with the fifth-ranked team in the nation, USF softball’s time at regionals was a bumpy ride.
Following the Bulls 41-14-1 season and the program’s first title in the American Athletic Conference tournament, USF went into the Tallahassee Regionals with momentum.
The Bulls started Friday with a win, although fatigue caught up to them against Florida State and in their second matchup with Auburn on Saturday.
Fridays highs
Early in the Bulls’ first-round matchup against Auburn, their drive was left in the dugout as USF fell in a 5-0 hole just one inning into the game.
“It was an interesting first inning,” Bulls coach Ken Eriksen said in a press conference. “We just weathered a storm.”
From there, USF rediscovered its energy after the Bulls’ bats put them up by one run heading into the sixth inning.
Leading the charge, graduate catcher Josie Foreman knocked a pair of home runs for the Bulls as they mounted their comeback.
After an Auburn run tied the game at 6 a-piece, the Bulls found themselves in extra innings.
Related: My favorite USF sports moments as a student journalist
With the bases loaded in the ninth inning, graduate infielder Alanah Rivera was hit by a pitch, which sent the go-ahead run home.
In the next at bat, junior catcher Camille Ortiz-Martinez launched a grand slam, slamming the door in the face of any Auburn comeback attempt.
Freshman Pitcher Anne Long, junior Payton Dixon and senior Belle Sardja combined for 153 pitches in the Bulls’ extra-innings victory.
Sardja was given the win after pitching 4.1 innings, allowing only 2 runs.
Saturdays lows
Going into Saturday’s bout with No. 5 Florida State, USF’s bullpen was depleted.
Consequently, the Bulls gave up eight runs and 11 hits against the Seminoles. The Bulls once again used three pitchers, totalling 121 pitches through six innings.
In the batter’s box, the Bulls were left without answers. USF put up no runs and only had two hits.
Even after a pair of walks and a pair of hits, no Bull made it further than first base.
“Florida State has a really good team up and down the lineup,” Eriksen said. “[They] have a really deep pitching staff.”
USF was run-ruled in six innings, losing 8-0.
From there, the Bulls were tasked with playing just a few hours later in a rematch against Auburn for a chance at the regional finals.
Related: USF approves $407 million price tag for stadium, related infrastructure
Once again, the Bulls’ pitching staff was tested, throwing 147 pitches in the matchup late on Saturday. In a little over one day, USF pitchers had thrown 421 pitches.
Against Auburn, the wear and tear of the regional schedule was apparent, as the Bulls gave up 14 hits and seven runs.
Early on, USF sprang out to a 4-3 lead in the third inning. From there on, both teams’ bats stayed relatively quiet.
After Auburn tacked on a run to tie the game in the fifth, neither team could find a runner crossing home plate.
In what seemed like deja vu, the Bulls found themselves in extra innings against the Tigers. This time, there was no grand slam to put USF over the top.
As USF’s bats failed to connect, a three-run Auburn eighth ended the Bulls’ season.
Despite the loss, Eriksen praised the graduating Bulls.
“I thought our senior class set a great example for the future of this program,” Eriksen said.
More Stories
USF races into NCAA history with relay title
USF track and field had ventured over 3,000 miles to compete in the NCAA outdoor national championships in Eugene, Oregon. With the lights high on Saturday evening, four men in black and green stepped onto the track with program history within reach. The Bulls’ men’s 4×400 relay team contended for a national title in the […]
Michael Kelly leaves USF with legacy of growth amongst change
Michael Kelly navigated a turbulent yet prosperous time in his eight-year tenure as USF’s athletic director, culminating in the genesis of one of the biggest developments in university history. Kelly, 54, made a lateral move to intraconference for Navy on June 4, becoming the school’s third civilian athletic director. Kelly oversaw significant advancements in USF’s […]
USF’s Vincent Ugwoke chases NCAA glory
Vincent Ugwoke stepped off a plane into a snowstorm just after midnight in Concordia, Kansas, in 2022. He’d just flown over 6,000 miles to the U.S. from Nsukka, Nigeria — alone and carrying nothing but a bag full of clothes made for the wrong weather. Three years later, the senior is one of the […]
USF’s Decarius Hawthorne inks contract with Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams officially signed former Bulls defensive tackle Decarius Hawthorne to a one-year deal on Tuesday. USF hasn’t had a player drafted since 2018 when defensive tackle Deadrin Senat and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling were picked in the third and fifth rounds by the Falcons and Packers. Hawthorne joins RJ Perry — who […]
USF’s rugby club fosters brotherhood through decades of tradition
Tomas Simon’s rugby journey didn’t start with the traditional recruitment process — it began with a casual encounter at USF. The health sciences senior was approached by a rugby club member in the USF Recreation & Wellness Center, who told him he should try out for the team. Never having played the sport before, Simon […]
USF’s athletic director Michael Kelly joins Navy in same role
USF is going through another major leadership change as Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly accepted the role of Navy’s next director of athletics. ESPN’s Pete Thamel said Kelly would formally accept the role early Wednesday. USF confirmed the news Wednesday afternoon. His departure comes just four months after university president Rhea Law announced plans […]